Bias in the Justice System During the O.J Simpson Murder Case

Throughout the course of American history, the era of the 1990’s certainly stands out. The justice system at the time seemed to have flaws, with it being put up to the test. Many infamous events happened during the 1990’s that defined the judicial system, including the Los Angeles riots, the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas controversy, and the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal. However, no case during that time (or, arguably, in the 20th century) was as talked about as the O.J. Simpson murder case. On June 13, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. The evidence found was pointing toward Nicole Brown Simpson’s husband- former football player Orenthal James Simpson. (Hunt, 17) The events leading up to his very infamous trial led to a whirlwind of media speculation. However, does the Simpson trial accurately display the flaws of the American judicial system at …show more content…
Simpson murder trial. In 1993, just two years before the trial, the Los Angeles riots occurred, which were racially charged due to the treatment of Rodney King at the hands of the LAPD. During the investigation into O.J. Simpson, it was discovered that police officer Mark Fuhrman, who was working with the investigation, was recorded saying racially motivated comments. These were known as the Fuhrman tapes, and were used as key evidence in the defense of Simpson. Author Aaronette White states this even further, connecting the events with the O.J. Simpson trial. She states, “Officer Fuhrman’s comments on the tapes revealed an extremely racist mentality and his proclivity toward criminal use of police authority. The tapes created questions about his credibility and cast a dark cloud over the prosecution’s case.” (White, 103) This begs the question; did the racial tensions at the time ultimately affect the