By Isabel Hicks

On April 10, 2024, notorious football player O.J. Simpson passed away due to prostate cancer at age 76. His sudden death took the media by storm as it resurfaced the decades-old conversation surrounding his infamous murder trial in the 90s. He was suspected of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. 

The “Trial of the Century,” led by Marcia Clark and Johnnie Cochran, captivated viewers for months, leading to a long debate on race, gender, police brutality, and celebrity status.

Since the start of the trial, each move was political. Gil Garcetti, the Los Angeles District Attorney at the time, decided to move the case from the Santa Monica Judicial District to the Downtown Los Angeles Courtroom. This was because there were higher concentrations of Black Americans in the area, who were more likely to be sympathetic to a black man on trial. Simpson’s personal lawyer, Robert Kardashian, played a key role in assembling the “Dream Team,” the team of lawyers that eventually led Simpson to a not-guilty verdict. The team consisted of Robert Kardashian, Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, and Alan Dershowitz, among others. 

As O.J. ‘s lead attorney, Johnnie Cochran tapped into the deep issues that divided America, sympathizing with the concerns of the Black community to gain support for his defendant. The Rodney King protests had occurred only three years prior, and suspicion towards the LAPD lingered long into the Simpson trial. Cochran urged his audience to stand up to racist cops and call out the corruption in the legal system. His famous line “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” stuck in the minds of the jury, providing them with enough reasonable doubt to believe O.J. was innocent despite the DNA evidence, motive, and timeline the prosecution had presented. 

Race was at the center of how Americans viewed the case and the conclusions they came to regarding O.J.’s innocence, creating a divide in American opinion. 58% of Black Americans believed that White Americans thought O.J. was guilty because of his race, while 60% of White Americans believed Black Americans thought O.J. was innocent because of his race.

Although race was a major topic of discussion at the time, domestic violence–another significant facet of the trial–was not a dialogue the nation was particularly engaged in. Domestic violence was assumed to only ever occur to marginalized women living in poverty, which is why it came as such a shock to the nation to see a wealthy white woman like Nicole Brown be a victim of such abuse, especially at the hands of someone they considered to be an American icon. 

Although there had been multiple violent incidents between the two, an incident in 1989 was the only one that led to his arrest, when Nicole was beaten so badly she had to be taken to the hospital. When the police found her, she repeatedly said, “He’s going to kill me, he’s going to kill me.” Despite Nicole’s complaints about the police’s non-intervention in the abuse, O.J. ‘s only punishment was to complete over-the-phone counseling for men who batter their wives.

Nicole had also apparently called a battered women’s shelter just five days before her death, alleging that O.J. had been stalking her. In the diary she had provided to her divorce lawyer, she had chronicled the numerous occasions in which O.J. had beaten and threatened her.

Because of this, her murder served as a catalyst for laws and policies regarding domestic violence. Her death in June 1994 played a major role in pressuring Congress to pass the Violence Against Women Act three months later, which would aim to protect victims by implementing responses to calls of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The act also established the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which assists women who are victims of domestic violence. 

The cops who had been called during one incident of violence between the couple, befriended O.J. and paid him various visits to his home for the following years. O.J. was able to use his fame and charisma to gain favors and talk his way out of legal trouble, something that potentially cost Nicole’s life. As protectors of peace, police officers should not be bribed into letting domestic abuses slide with minimal punishment in exchange for signed memorabilia. 

However, negative and harmful views on women didn’t just exist within the evidence box; sexism was blatant throughout the entire trial. 

Viewers’ response to lead prosecutor Marcia Clark, including insults about her appearance, exposed another issue on the way society views women in power and working mothers. Since the start of the trial, negative comments about her hair and personality became the talk of every late-night show. 

She was asked to wear pastel colors, talk softer, change her hair, and even hire a consultant to improve her appearance. Various comments were made about her being a single mother, including a direct comment from Cochran when he referred to her “childcare crisis” in the courtroom. 

A topless photo of Clark taken ten years prior was also published by the Associated Press during the trial, an inappropriate and disrespectful move the “Dream Team” had made to humiliate Clark in the public’s eye. 

While the all-male “Dream Team” was praised and patted on the back for their performance in court, Clark was dragged for seemingly unrelated aspects of her appearance and life. 

The treatment of Clark echoes the similar experiences millions of women across the globe share. Sexism in the workplace runs rampant today, as 42% of women experience some form of gender-based discrimination.

The O.J. trial was not called the “Trial of the Century” for any light reason. The case was not only highly publicized internationally, but it also exposed the pre-existing biases and divides that lived within Americans. Every debate surrounding the case became very polarized, but the truth is that the case isn’t black and white, and two truths can exist simultaneously. The system can be unjust, and Simpson can be guilty of murder. Despite the trial taking place almost 30 years ago, the social issues it dealt with, including institutionalized racism, domestic violence, and sexism in the workplace, are matters we continue to struggle with. Although there have been strides to improve these issues, they’re still a major cause for concern. Maintaining nuanced conversations regarding the intersectionality of social issues is essential in moving forward as a society. It’s also important for us to revisit cases such as O.J.’s, to remind ourselves of the harsh reality of these issues and not repeat history.