Case Study: The People v. O.J. Simpson

Presenter(s)

Murtaza Shoaib

Abstract or Description

The O.J. Simpson murder case, known as the “Trial of Century” and officially titled The People of California v. Orenthal James Simpson, was held in Los Angeles, California in 1994-95. O.J. Simpson was a national football hero and celebrity, who was accused of brutally murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman on June 14, 1994. After an 11-month trial in which Simpson was represented by an all-star “Dream Team” of defense lawyers, the jury acquitted Simpson on the two counts of murder.

The Simpson trial, which is probably the most widely publicized criminal trial in American history, provides a fascinating and compelling case study on the intricacies of the criminal justice system. To date, the Simpson trial has remained a curious part of American pop culture and has been the subject of numerous books, movies, and other media coverage.

The focus of this Honors seminar was to review and dissect the Simpson case in detail, as well as to highlight the many facets of a case as it processes through the criminal justice system. The topics for discussion in this course included: a review of the criminal procedure; the roles of the prosecutor and defense counsel; domestic violence; police misconduct; racial relations and systemic injustice; the role of the trial judge; the media and trial publicity; the use of evidence including scientific evidence; the role of the jury; socioeconomics and access to justice; and crime victims’ rights. By the end of the seminar, students appreciated that the Simpson murder trial was anything but ordinary, and found themselves asking: “What is justice?”