Finally , many legal dramas present themes that reflect politicized issues . In the 1960 film , '' Inherit the Wind '' , the politicized issue portrayed was the legality of a Tennessee statute that made it unlawful to teach the theory of evolution in a public school . As laws and public policy opinions change , so do the themes presented in legal dramas . The 1992 film , '' A Few Good Men '' , explored the psychology of superior orders , e.g. excusing criminal actions because they were only committed from ' following orders ' . The film '' Philadelphia '' ( 1993 ) addressed homophobia , and the discrimination and public fear of HIV/AIDs carriers . In 1996 , '' The People vs. Larry Flynt '' portrays the early years of Hustler Magazine and issues of obscenity and freedom of speech . '' You Do n't Know Jack '' ( 2010 ) is a fictional biographic film about Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the legal actions he faced as a result of providing euthanasia services to terminal patients . Racial injustice remains a common theme from as far back as '' To Kill a Mockingbird '' in 1962 to the 2017 film '' Marshall . '' Legal dramas in American film has an extensive history stemming from as early as the 1908 film , '' Falsely Accused ! '' The 1950s and 1960s presented a number of legal drama films including , '' 12 Angry Men '' ( 1957 ) , '' Witness for the Prosecution '' ( 1957 ) , '' I Want to Live ! '' ( 1958 ) , '' Anatomy of a Murder '' ( 1959 ) , '' The Young Philadelphians '' ( 1959 ) , '' Compulsion '' ( 1959 ) , '' Inherit the Wind '' ( 1960 ) , '' Judgment at Nuremberg '' ( 1961 ) , and '' To Kill a Mockingbird '' ( 1962 ) . Arguably , '' 12 Angry Men '' and '' To Kill a Mockingbird '' stand as the cornerstones of early legal dramas , garnering extensive acclaim , recognition , and awards . Despite underwhelming box office performance , '' 12 Angry Men '' was nominated in three different categories at the 30th Academy Awards and appears on half of the AFI 100 Years ... series lists of films , which celebrate the greatest films in American cinema . Likewise , '' To Kill a Mockingbird '' received even more acclaim , garnering three academy awards out of eight total nominations at the 35th Academy Awards , appears on seven of the AFI 's ten lists celebrating the greatest films , including ranking as the best courtroom drama , and selected for preservation United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being " culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant " . Other countries also premiered legal dramas or courtrooms dramas in the early 1900s , such as the French silent film , '' The Passion of Joan of Arc '' ( 1928 )
35th Academy Awards
35th Academy Awards
Legal drama