Ten Important Cases from 1995 and 1996

The People of California v. Orenthal James Simpson

On the night of Sunday, June 12, 1994 Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were brutally murdered in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. The main suspect was Nicole's ex-husband, Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson. The case seemed simple for the police, who are all too familiar with domestic disputes that end with death at the hands of an abusive husband.

But this case turned out to be anything but simple. Celebrity, race, money, power, and Hollywood combined to turn the People v. Simpson into a circus, a daily soap opera that played out on television sets across America. The legal impact of the case was minimal, far less than many had predicted. The importance of the case lies in its detrimental impact on the public perception of the criminal justice system.

The circus atmosphere began almost immediately. Television news crews set up camp at the murder site and at Simpson's house on June 13, the day after the murde

. . .
inton denied that charge during the videotaped testimony he gave in the trial. The defendants did not mount much of a defense, apparently believing that Clinton's testimony on their behalf sufficed (Frontline Online, Whitewater). The jury convicted all three defendants on numerous charges. Jurors later said that though they believed Clinton, but his testimony was irrelevant and ample other evidence had been presented (and not refuted) to convict the defendants (Melton and Haddigan, p. A1). The convictions and the cooperation ultimately proved to have little value. The case ended five months before the 1996 presidential election, yet Whitewater had no impact on the campaign as Clinton coasted to a second term. Jim McDougal gave the prosecutors all the information they wanted (Tucker cooperated, too, but he had little to offer about Clinton), but no charges against President or Mrs. Clinton ensued. Prosecutors apparently did not feel comfortable leveling charges against either Clinton without corroboration for the testimony of an admitted perjurer (Hale) and an admitted liar (Jim McDougal). They needed Susan McDougal. Starr's prosecutors offered her leniency, and when that did not work, they played hardball. Susan McD
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Supreme Court, Women's Syndrome, Bennis Michigan, James Egelhoff, Excerpts A27, Justice Rehnquist, Ohio Robinette, Court TV, People Simpson, Erik Lyle, supreme court, frontline online, criminal justice, justice system, criminal justice system, voluntary intoxication, civil forfeiture, bennis michigan, assisted suicide, court tv, smith 1996, frontline online kevorkian, ban assisted suicide, california supreme court, battered women's syndrome,
Approximate Word count = 5221
Approximate Pages = 21 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Ten Important Cases from 1995 and 1996