The O.J. Simpson Trial: How the Media and Race Influenced the Decision
The legal decision of The People versus O.J. Simpson forever changed legal proceedings in our country, and is regarded as one of the most controversial court rulings in American history. The murder trial was unique due to the high profile status of the people involved, the circumstances surrounding the crime, and the media attention that the case received from the media. The crime occurred in 1994 Los Angeles, a racially charged area of the country still feeling the wounds of the Rodney King incident. Due to the conditions of the crime, as well as the personal history of many of the officials involved, a lot of the American public felt that O.J. Simpson was an African-American …show more content…
The court decision to acquit former NFL star O.J. Simpson of murder will forever be regarded as an example of how the we as Americans must trust the process of the legal system that we abide by. Guilt or innocence in the commission of a crime must be proved without a reasonable doubt, no matter the circumstances or evidence. Despite the extravagant evidence that implicated O.J. Simpson to the murder, the prosecution failed to establish in the minds of the jury that he committed the crime. The defense was able to shift the focus off the damaging evidence of the crime, and more towards the acquisition of that evidence, the ill-treatment of the crime scene, and the history of the Los Angeles Police Department in regards to treatment of minority groups. It can be said that the celebrity status of this case greatly influenced the verdict, as well as the circumstances that led up to that decision. Many of the normal legal proceedings that occur at the crime scene of a murder were bypassed or poorly managed. The apprehension of O.J. Simpson did not occur in a standard that the Los Angeles Police Department abides by. Despite all the mishandlement of this case, the main reason why O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder is because of the factor that race played in the entire …show more content…
Simpson murder trial forever changed how courtroom proceedings occur. The many instances of mistakes on behalf of the LAPD over the years, as well as during the actual case ultimately proved to be the difference in the decision. These mistakes allowed the jury to consider that perhaps Simpson was being set up because he was African American. If these injustices on behalf of the LAPD did not occur, then only the factual evidence would have been presented in court. It would have been an easy murder conviction for Mr. Simpson. The media coverage also allows the case to turn into a real life celebrity soap opera, and shifted the focus from the facts to the show that was going on. We can learn from the O.J. Simpson trial that the meticulous standard that the LAPD has in place in criminal situations must be conducted in all instances. The celebrity of an individual does not make them above the law. Because of these downfalls, a guilty man was
The legal decision of The People versus O.J. Simpson forever changed legal proceedings in our country, and is regarded as one of the most controversial court rulings in American history. The murder trial was unique due to the high profile status of the people involved, the circumstances surrounding the crime, and the media attention that the case received from the media. The crime occurred in 1994 Los Angeles, a racially charged area of the country still feeling the wounds of the Rodney King incident. Due to the conditions of the crime, as well as the personal history of many of the officials involved, a lot of the American public felt that O.J. Simpson was an African-American …show more content…
The court decision to acquit former NFL star O.J. Simpson of murder will forever be regarded as an example of how the we as Americans must trust the process of the legal system that we abide by. Guilt or innocence in the commission of a crime must be proved without a reasonable doubt, no matter the circumstances or evidence. Despite the extravagant evidence that implicated O.J. Simpson to the murder, the prosecution failed to establish in the minds of the jury that he committed the crime. The defense was able to shift the focus off the damaging evidence of the crime, and more towards the acquisition of that evidence, the ill-treatment of the crime scene, and the history of the Los Angeles Police Department in regards to treatment of minority groups. It can be said that the celebrity status of this case greatly influenced the verdict, as well as the circumstances that led up to that decision. Many of the normal legal proceedings that occur at the crime scene of a murder were bypassed or poorly managed. The apprehension of O.J. Simpson did not occur in a standard that the Los Angeles Police Department abides by. Despite all the mishandlement of this case, the main reason why O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder is because of the factor that race played in the entire …show more content…
Simpson murder trial forever changed how courtroom proceedings occur. The many instances of mistakes on behalf of the LAPD over the years, as well as during the actual case ultimately proved to be the difference in the decision. These mistakes allowed the jury to consider that perhaps Simpson was being set up because he was African American. If these injustices on behalf of the LAPD did not occur, then only the factual evidence would have been presented in court. It would have been an easy murder conviction for Mr. Simpson. The media coverage also allows the case to turn into a real life celebrity soap opera, and shifted the focus from the facts to the show that was going on. We can learn from the O.J. Simpson trial that the meticulous standard that the LAPD has in place in criminal situations must be conducted in all instances. The celebrity of an individual does not make them above the law. Because of these downfalls, a guilty man was