THE LESSONS OF THE TRIAL

NEVER MIND THAT THE CASE IS LIKE NO OTHER, EVERYONE IS EAGER TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM AFTER O.J.

IF O.J. SIMPSON IS A FREE MAN TODAY, he leaves behind a machinery of law that looks as twisted as any Los Angeles freeway after an earthquake. Critics of his acquittal point to issues that took the trial where it had no business going, from the defense plea for racial reparations to breathless news bulletins on Marcia Clark's hairdo. Yet even within the strict letter of the law, the case unfolded with such grotesque distortions of what most Americans think of as normal justice that the system itself ended up in the dock. Verdicts are now coming down, and they are...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!