The People v. Orenthal James Simpson: Race and Trial Advocacy
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Description
This chapter focuses on the trial story behind the high profile case of People v. Orenthal James Simpson. As the author points out, the Simpson case focused attention on some of the most important issues in the criminal justice system, including class and race disparities, DNA evidence, and police perjury. The author here focuses on the issue of race--its significance in the trial and how it affected the advocacy of the lawyers. She discusses the emotional conflicts over race within the defense and prosecution teams and compares and contrasts the approaches that each side ultimately decided to take. The author examines how race affected the choice of lawyers, venue and jury selection, the direct and cross-examination of the trials most controversial witness, and the closing arguments. She suggests that the strategic decisions about race made by both sides may have largely determined the outcome of the case.
ISBN
1599411199
Publication Date
1-1-2008
Book Title
Trial Stories
Publisher
Foundation Press
Keywords
People v. Orenthal James Simpson, O. J. Simpson, Trial advocacy, Famous trials, Race and trials, Police perjury
Disciplines
Criminal Law | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Law
Recommended Citation
Davis, Angela J. “The People v. Orenthal James Simpson: Race and Trial Advocacy.” In Trial Stories, edited by Michael E. Tigar and Angela J. Davis, 283-352. New York, NY: Foundation Press, 2008.