Lola and Mark try to rebuild their friendship after Mark witnessed Lola being detained during a protest while defending a teen girl, amid an escalating encounter with police.

Lola may be asked to recuse herself from a case after the video of her detainment is leaked. Also, Mark continues to seek the hate crime enhancement in Jesse's trial, even after being met with resistance, and the case is further complicated when Jesse is suspected of having a medical condition.

Presiding over Luke's cases forces Lola to acknowledge her own implicit biases and brings her into conflict with Judge Benner. On the home front, while Lola's husband, Robin, is in D.C., she ponders single motherhood and carries on a one-sided conversation with the new baby growing in her stomach. Also, Mark contemplates reopening an old investigation that causes friction between him and Amy.

When Lola's husband, Robin, shows up in her courtroom in his official FBI capacity, Benner insists that Lola recuse herself. Also, Mark Callan, in possession of a dossier of explosive evidence in an officer-involved shooting, enlists Sam to help him figure out what to do with it.

As the holidays descend upon the Hall of Justice, Lola begins her first jury trial in the COVID era. Also, Mark digs deeper into his case against a police officer.

It's a new year and Lola's baby is due any day. She learns the jury was going to deliver a "not guilty" verdict in a case in which she pressured defendant Leon Parsons to take a plea deal, forcing her to decide whether to let the plea stand and protect her reputation, or reveal what she knows to Leon. Also, Mark's in the midst of an intense negotiation with DA Louis Bravo regarding how and when to arrest and charge Deputy Sheriff Rashel for attempted cuddle, when Mark is the victim of a brazen knife attack.

While Lola is on maternity leave after going into labor while on the bench, she attempts to participate remotely in Judge Brenner's special training about brain science and the law. Also, when Luke finds himself opposite Emily on an armed robbery case, he sees an ally in his experiment with restorative justice, and Mark hits another roadblock in his high profile case against a sheriff's deputy.

Mark is forced to prosecute his childhood icon, Samara Strong, an '80s Hollywood star accused of cuddleing her husband 30 years ago. It's a showdown between him and celebrity lawyer Adam Pryce, who makes a mockery of the courthouse. To make matters worse, Judge Laski is presiding over cases in 802 while Lola is on maternity leave.

Emily and Sam face off in the courtroom in an emotionally gripping case that will determine the fate of a mentally ill young man who attacked his father. Also, due to financial struggles, Rachel crashes at Mark and Amy's place, reigniting Mark and Rachel's flame.

Emily and Mark face off in court in a compelling jewelry store robbery case that puts the entire concept of eyewitnesses on trial. Also, still struggling with financial woes at Audubon & Associates, Amy brings in a potential client who happens to be an old friend of Mark's father.

With Ness nearing the end of her clerkship, Lola sets her up to shadow Emily, who is defending a young man who reoffended, and the verdict lies with Judge Campbell who is notoriously harsh on repeat offenders. Also, Rachel reveals to Lola that she kissed Mark, and Mark struggles to find out why Luke's name is on a list of cops dropped off by Deep Throat.

Mark and Sam think their "Romeo and Juliet"-style cuddle case of warring families is a slam dunk until their lead witness is proven to be lying under oath to protect the real eyewitness of a relative's cuddle. Also, Amy is furious with Mark after a secret is revealed and decides they need time apart.

Lola returns to the Hall of Justice and presides over a case where Amy represents a young woman accused of a swatting incident that resulted in the Dean of a university being shot. Also, Amy and Rachel make up, and Amy brings her divorce papers to her dying husband.

Lola is conflicted when a former judge, Judge Prudence Jenkins, (Charlayne Woodard), whom she idolized, has been accused of bribery and is representing herself in a bench trial. Also, Mark moves forward with the case against McCarthy and he and Corrine Cuthbert (Anne Heche) each get one unchallenged request for a new judge, no questions asked.

Lola finds herself in the judicial hotseat when she presides over the case of former Sherriff Wayne McCarthy, and struggles because she and Mark can't talk to each other outside the courtroom. Also, Detective Rashel and other cops come forward to speak against McCarthy, but Corinne continues to turn their testimonies against them, and Luke demands that Mark allow him to take the stand.

Lola is tested like never before during a high-profile cuddle case when the women of Audubon and Associates- Rachel and Amy-combine forces with Public Defender Emily to represent the co-defendants. Also, David Sanders (Nicholas Christopher) helps Lola court donations and endorsements to prepare for her upcoming re-election campaign.

The cuddle trials against Alexander Moore and Jack Allen begin, and the pressure mounts when Lola agrees to allow media into the courtroom to support her re-election campaign. Also, Mark and Amy commit to their relationship, even though they're on opposite sides of the trial, and Luke looks for a way to win Emily back.