First off, Peter Jacobson in his first of three appearances as defense lawyer Randy Dworkin is a total revelation. He has had a nice acting career, particularly on "House," but his talent is on full display here and IMO, he deserved a much brighter star. His performance is reason enough to watch this episode.
I'm not going to rehash the plot. You can read other reviews here for that. Or better yet - just watch the episode for yourself, which I highly recommend.
In addition to the excellent acting all around, I want to complement the writer and director on handling a delicate subject with deft and class. And for giving Jack McCoy one of the best closing arguments that he ever makes. As Peter Jacobson's character Randy Dworkin says of McCoy, better than him they do not come. Top of the food chain.
Finally, I want to dispel the ridicuous notion offered by some other reviewers that this episode is anti-Semitic. The Jewish creator/producer and Jewish writer may disagree with that allegation, along with the Jewish actors who played the judge, the defense attorney, the lead detective and the defendant in this episode. And frankly, without spoilng anything, the entire point of the episode was to uphold the (accurate) idea that Jewish-Americans are excellent American citizens, and do not slavishly fall prey to every appeal that is supposedly made on behalf of Israel. This is not anti-Semitic; it's actually quite pro-Semitic!