Dershowitz: O.J. Simpson put America’s legal system on trial
The death of O.J. Simpson brings back memories of his very divisive criminal trial and controversial verdict. Americans split over his case largely along racial lines. Many African Americans hoped for and believed in his innocence, while many whites believed with equal fervor that he was guilty.
A turning point in the trial was the glove that didn’t fit. I was sitting just feet away from him in the courtroom when he tried on the glove, walked up to the jurors and said something like “It’s too small.” At the break, I met with him and told him that he needn’t testify, because he had in effect already testified by his statement to the jury. If he had taken the witness stand, he would have been cross-examined, as he was in the civil case, where he was found liable. He took my advice and did not testify in the criminal case.
The Simpson case was not the trial of the century in terms of its legal significance, but it was an important trial because it revealed the racial divisions in our country, as well as the power of televising trials.
Following the acquittal, I and many others advised O.J. to take a low profile. I’d given similar advice to Claus von Bulow following his acquittal. Von Bulow accepted it and lived a quiet and productive life. O.J. rejected it and lived a life of turmoil, including the subsequent conviction in Nevada for trying to retrieve stolen memorabilia. The Nevada conviction and sentence were clearly payback for what many regarded as an unjust acquittal.
O.J. the man was extremely bright. Like most great athletes, he had street smarts. He played a major role in his own defense. But then he foolishly wrote a book that many people believe constituted an implicit admission of guilt. He also went on TV and social media, which backfired.
I, along with other members of his defense team, was criticized for representing a person who many believed had committed a heinous crime. That’s what lawyers must do pursuant to the Sixth Amendment’s right to zealous representation.
When I was first asked to join the Simpson defense team, I expressed reluctance, because I had opined on his likely guilt in TV appearances. But Robert Shapiro persuaded me to join the team because at that time it was a capital case — he faced the death penalty. When I first joined, many of my friends expressed support, saying that he was entitled to a defense even if he was guilty. But when he was acquitted, many of these same people you were furious at me. “Why did you have to win?”, they asked. But when a defense attorney takes on a case, you must try to win by all legal and ethical means. The proper role of the defense attorney is still misunderstood by too many Americans.
O.J. Simpson will go down in history as one of the greatest running backs in college football and in the NFL. He will also be remembered for being one of the first African Americans to play a leading role in advertising and in movies. But his legacy will focus on the role he played in exposing the deep racial divisions that our nation is still experiencing.
He will also be remembered for putting the American legal system on trial in front of millions of TV viewers. Finally, his trial will be remembered for exposing the corruption among some Los Angeles police officers. All in all, O.J. Simpson’s legacy will always be mixed.
I think that the race part played a big role in certain circles (i.e. urban, coastal, Democrat), but for the rest of us out here in real America, it most certainly was NOT about race. This was OJ, the Juice, and we all loved him. He was a fantastically popular sports figure, sure, and as you glancingly note, he also did commercials, but he also was in movies, in every popular magazine, and did walk-ons on our favorite shows. America loved, loved LOVED OJ Simpson.
I'm pretty sure that pretty much all of us were aware that he was black. Weird, in your telling, no? How do you get from this absolute celebrity in sports, on tv, in the movies, beloved by all of America to this whole guilty/not guilty thing was about race? That's just nonsensical, and frankly, this is the problem with you Democrats and everyone who sees everything solely through the prism of race . . . you are a small minority. The rest of us didn't and still don't decide what we think of someone because of their race. The Juice was legend, and all of America (white, black, blah blah blah) LOVED him. And then he (almost certainly, who else could have and left OJ's blood all over the place?) killed Nicole and Ron Goldman. I remember it all vividly. My first reaction, was oh, no way! That's OJ. The Juice. He didn't do that. He can't have a bad or violent or angry bone in his body.
But then a funny thing happened, and the pictures of Nicole beaten by OJ, her phone calls to 911, all of it was made public. And then we all thought, wow, if he can beat her. Over and over. Harm her so horribly over jealousy and who knows what? Sure he could have taken it a step further. Most abusers do. As you must know. And killed her. A LOT of abusers do that, too, as you must also know. As we all certainly knew. Then the evidence trickled out, the clown car prosecution made us all cringe, you guys on the defense made us all a little sick (but we understood he deserved the best defense his wealth, created by being a huge celebrity among WHITE Americans, could buy).
I really think you need to sit down and try to think like a person who is . . . just a person. Not a person with an agenda, not a partisan hack, not some kind of armchair social scientist, just a person. People don't think like you think they do. Goodness, haven't you seen that yourself since October 7th. How much of all of that took you by surprise? You know who it didn't surprise. All of us, out here in real America who were huge OJ fans . . . until he killed his ex-wife and Ron Goldman. We also knew that there is far more antisemitism in your circles than there has been racism in ours for half a century or more. Wake all the way up, please. It's time.
The only people who do not realize that OJ was 100% guilty are absolute morons and deniers. There was overwhelming evidence that no other person in the world committed these atrocious murders. The glove was a joke. As with virtually all of the prosecution, Ms Clark, Mr Darden and others were incompetent at best. When water or blood soaked, a leather glove shrinks. It must be stretched out to once again fit the wearer. If any thinking person has ever soaked their gloves while playing in snow the result is evident. No parent says the glove shrank so new ones have to be purchased every time a snowball is made. He made his hands swell without arthritis medication, plus had a glove liner of some kind to my recollection, so the glove was not going to fit under that circumstance. Cochran was no better than any other good lawyer. The defense got lucky with inept Marcia and team, wishy-washy Kato and lying, know-it-all Fuhrman who humiliated and perjured himself with no charges stating he never said the N word, but was found to have said it countless times. The gloves belonged to OJ as sure as the sun is hot. The double-murderer was pictured in the Buno Magli shoes after denying he owned the same. A juror was witnessed the other day on X saying that 90% of the jury believed he was guilty but they voted for acquittal out of revenge. Most people with a third grade education, had they chosen to use it, could have surmised that given the voluminous evidence against him. I could not care less about his football record. It has no meaning whatsoever. The only matter of fact is that OJ savagely murdered and nearly beheaded two beautiful, innocent people who posed no threat to him whatsoever. He is nothing but a parasitic germ who should have never have been born. Mr Dershowitz, shame on you for expressing one iota of regard for this savage. The case was closed for him from the verdict forward. The case will never be closed for the Brown and Goldman families. Their anguish is never-ending. I don't recall any recent mention by you of the two souls he monstrously eradicated. They were Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. May they rest in eternal peace. May God damn their heinous eliminator.