Star Justice Isn’t Justice
I am a fan of the legal system because I watch many legal cases on television all the time. The concept of justice and the law is fascinating and complicated all at the same time. I, unlike most people wish to serve on a jury someday. However, from watching trails on television, I know that the justice system in the United States is the best one in the world, but it is far from perfect.
The legal system is very serious, but some people might miss this point, especially, if your perspective on the legal system comes strictly by watching celebrity trials.
If you were alive in 1994, you at least heard of the O.J. Simpson Case. O.J Simpson was on trial for killing his ex wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. It was completely a circumstantial case, but I thought it was a very strong circumstantial case until the trial turned into a circus.
The prosecutors put on the DNA evidence for ten days and it was so scientific that it put many people to sleep, including the judge, I think. Also, when the glove didn’t fit, I knew that the prosecution was in big trouble. There was also much telling and name calling on both sides; the trial looked very unprofessional. Trials should be professional at all times.
O.J. Simpson was found not guilty because he was a celebrity. It other words, Simpson was found not guilty by reason of celebrity. I think that the jury was impressed that O.J Simpson had been a professional football player and an actor, it didn’t hurt that he came across as handsome.
I think that we are afraid to convict celebrities of crimes because we feel that we know them and we don’t believe that they could do something legally and morally wrong. In other words, jurors are “star stuck.”
The interesting thing that came out of the O.J. Simpson Case was that it brought out the issue of domestic violence as a problem that society must deal with every day. Also, it illustrated that there is still much tension between the races. I say this because it seemed to me that most black people believed that he was not guilty and most white people believed he was guilty. Plus, the case is still argued about today.
In addition, a court case that really bugged me was the Michael Jackson Case. The jury seemed to be so stuck on celebrity that they refuse to hang even though three people thought that he was guilty of child molestation charges. Those three people caved to the pressure of the majority.
After seeing these two celebrity trials, I am a bit frightened by the knowledge that the pressure applied by the majority can sway the minority. I guess we as a society have a long way to go before we can stand together as a society and stand apart as individuals at the same time.
