AFI described courtroom dramas as "a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film's narrative. Innocent until proven guilty. These four words inspire stories where the outcome may be the difference between life and death. The drama inherent in the theatre of a courtroom—the accused enters, prosecution and defense state their case, and a jury deliberates—all build to the moment when a verdict is read."

(Winners marked with this icon and ranking number)

1. ABSENCE OF MALICE, Columbia, 1981
2. THE ACCUSED Paramount, 1988
3. ADAM'S RIB, MGM, 1949
4. ADVISE & CONSENT, Columbia, 1962
5. AMISTAD, DreamWorks, 1997
6. ANATOMY OF A MURDER, Columbia, 1959 (# 7)
7. …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, Columbia, 1979
8. BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, RKO, 1956
9. THE CAINE MUTINY, Columbia, 1954
10. THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, United Artists, 1961
11. THE CLIENT, Warner Bros., 1994
12. COMPULSION, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1959
13. THE CRUCIBLE, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1996
14. A CRY IN THE DARK, Warner Bros., 1988 (# 9)
15. ERIN BROCKOVICH, Universal, 2000
16. A FEW GOOD MEN, Columbia, 1992 (# 5)
17. FURY, MGM, 1936
18. GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI, Columbia, 1996
19. I CONFESS, Warner Bros., 1953
20. I WANT TO LIVE!, United Artists, 1958
21. IN COLD BLOOD, Columbia, 1967 (# 8)
22. INHERIT THE WIND, United Artists, 1960
23. THE INSIDER, Touchstone, 1999
24. JAGGED EDGE, Columbia, 1985
25. JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG, United Artists, 1961 (# 10)
26. KRAMER VS. KRAMER, Columbia, 1979 (# 3)
27. LEGALLY BLONDE, MGM, 2001
28. LIBEL, MGM, 1959
29. MADAME X, Universal, 1966
30. A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, Columbia, 1966
31. MY COUSIN VINNY, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1992
32. THE ONION FIELD, AVCO Embassy, 1979
33. PATHS OF GLORY, United Artists, 1957
34. THE PELICAN BRIEF, Warner Bros., 1993
35. THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, Columbia, 1996
36. PHILADELPHIA, TriStar, 1993
37. PRESUMED INNOCENT, Warner Bros., 1990
38. PRIMAL FEAR, Paramount, 1996
39. THE RAINMAKER, Paramount, 1997
40. REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, Warner Bros., 1990
41. A SOLDIER'S STORY, Columbia, 1984
42. SUSPECT, TriStar, 1987
43. THE TALK OF THE TOWN, Columbia, 1942
44. A TIME TO KILL, Warner Bros., 1996
45. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Universal, 1962 (# 1)
46. 12 ANGRY MEN, United Artists, 1957 (# 2)
47. THE VERDICT, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1982 (# 4)
48. WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, United Artists, 1957 (# 6)
49. YOUNG MR. LINCOLN, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1939
50. THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS, Warner Bros., 1959

Nominees: 20 of the 50 films involved a falsely accused defendant.

Winners:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
2. 12 Angry Men (1957)
3. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
4. The Verdict (1982)
5. A Few Good Men (1992)
6. Witness For the Prosecution (1957)
7. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
8. In Cold Blood (1967)
9. A Cry in the Dark (1988)
10. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Comments: Legally Blonde (2001) - a courtroom drama and top 50 pick??!! There were better, more classic courtroom dramatic films than A Cry in the Dark (1988), such as Inherit the Wind (1960), Paths of Glory (1957), and Philadelphia (1993), which should all have been in the top 10. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) was basically a drama - little of the film takes place in a courtroom. 12 Angry Men (1957) should have been the # 1 Courtroom Drama, and JFK (1991) should have been a nominee.