Depuis le tournage de Domestic Violence 1, la loi américaine réprimant les actes de violence conjugale a été durcie. Frederick Wiseman se penche à nouveau sur le traitement institutionnel de ce problème en filmant, cette fois-ci, le travail des tribunaux.

Domestic Violence 2 takes place in the arraignment, misdemeanor, and injunction courts in Hillsborough County, Tampa, Florida. The courts deal with issues such as bail bonds, release pending trial, the specific context of injunctions regulating time and place of parental visits, restraining orders, contact with children, support payments, and the court's decision about fault and punishment. The judges and lawyers ask questions which elicit the stories of couples' relationships and the specific form of violence between them.