The Judge is easily the most controversial product I've ever seen, and the attacks on it range from puzzling to absurd. I've seen people say that it's terrible, that it's inaccurate, that it can't hit anything, that its buckshot would just bounce off someone... and all of that is, of course, nonsense.
Fact of the matter is: the Judge works. But it's really big, in comparison to other pistols, so an argument could be made that you could get something smaller that would be as effective; a Springfield XDS, for example, is a .45 ACP that is probably volumetrically half to 2/3 the size of a Public Defender, but will hit just as hard. Of course, what that argument ignores is that nothing else out there can deliver the punch of a multiple-projectile shotshell like the Federal .410 Handgun buckshot or the NobelSport .400 buckshot or the Winchester PDX1, either!
Quality control? Well, that's a mixed bag there. The sights on my Public Defender are "off", they need to be adjusted by a gunsmith. Taurus used to have quality control problems but they seem to be much better. And, Taurus offers a lifetime warranty so there's that. If you want a better-built product, consider the Governor, as it's a lot more expensive but it does seem better built. There's a thread on here where someone's new Poly Public Defender broke within the first few rounds of using it, so be aware, stuff does occasionally happen, but with the # of Judges sold (millions?) and the # of reports of something like that happening, it does seem to be a rare occurrence.
Bottom line: if you want a Judge, get a Judge. There's nothing else like it (except the Governor, of course). And it does what it says it will do. Just understand its limitations -- it's not a target pistol for shooting horseflies at 100 yards, it's a personal defense weapon that is designed to be effective at personal defense distances -- and in that range (7 yards and under), it's devastating. Oh, and don't shoot birdshot in it, that's pointless and is probably where a lot of the griping comes from. Use the rounds that were designed for the Judge -- again, that's Federal .410 or Nobel .400 buckshot, PDX1, Hornady Critical Defense 410, or a good solid .45 Colt round, and you'll get great performance.