As of October 3rd, 2020, it has been 26 years since O.J. Simpson was found not guilty for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. This was not only the most internationally followed case in 1995, but it still is incredibly relevant to America today.
If you are unaware of the significance and details of this case, O.J. Simpson was a football star as well as a television personality. He was married to Nicole Brown Simpson until they divorced in 1992. On June 13, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman were found brutally murdered outside of her home. O.J. Simpson was the suspect in this double homicide, and this led to an incredibly high stakes court case. From an infamous car chase to intense media speculation, this is still considered one of the most famous cases of all time. If you’re interested in a documentary on this trial, you should consider watching the five-part series “O.J. Made in America,” produced by ESPN. For a cinematic representation of the case, watch “The People vs. O.J. Simpson” on Netflix.
But why is the O.J. Simpson case still so relevant, 26 years later? Why are there still documentaries and shows being made? Why is America so interested in this particular story?
First, the effects of this case have had a huge impact on American justice as we know it today. This case had a lot to do with domestic violence. In numerous instances prior to the murder, O.J. Simpson had beaten his wife; there was even photographic evidence of her injured at the hands of him. This case brought domestic violence as a whole into the spotlight, eventually leading to the enaction of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. In summary, this act led to grants going toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women as well as shelters, rape prevention, and other similar services. The O.J. Simpson case led to so many people realizing how big of a problem domestic violence is, it essentially led to law being reshaped as a result.
In the O.J. Simpson case, the main argument of the defense was that the police department is a racist institution that falsified evidence in order to make O.J., a Black man, look guilty. This case turned into an all-out race war; most white people felt O.J. was guilty and most Black people felt he was innocent.
Most notably, and at the expense of the prosecution, a detective on the investigation took the stand. Mark Fuhrman at first claimed that he never had used racist slurs in his life, then later the defense found a tape of him saying highly offensive racial statements. This made the jury completely discredit the police department and was a huge aspect of O.J.’s acquittal.
Race inequality is still a prevalent issue in the United States to this day. The O.J. Trial is one of the first times racism within the police was exposed and talked about on such a national scale. Regardless of if racism within the police actually did factor into if O.J. murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, this trial did show the blatant racism that is embedded within the police.
As I stated before, this trial divided America into those who believed O.J. was guilty and those who believed he was innocent, and this often correlated to race. In 1994, a poll stated that 63 percent of white people felt O.J. was guilty, while only 22 percent of Black people felt he was. In 2015, 83 percent of white people feel O.J. is guilty while 57 percent of Black people now feel he is.
26 years later, the public opinion on O.J.’s guilt has entirely changed. Based on these numbers, a majority of America now believes that in hindsight O.J. is guilty of the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, regardless of if someone is Black or white.
Under the assumption that O.J. did commit these murders, this case is an absolute travesty of justice. Just based on evidence, this case should have been simple for the prosecution. There were a lot of ulterior factors that played into Simpson getting off: race, media, public opinion on both Simpson and prosecutor Marcia Clark, as well as countless mistakes made that played into the not guilty verdict. If you’re curious, I’d highly recommend the documentaries mentioned above, as well as this timeline for a way to really grasp what occurred in ‘the trial of the century.’
Sources:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/senate-bill/11