Another OJ Trial Came and Went

OJ Simpson's lawyers went before the Nevada Supreme Court this week to claim jury selection was prejudicial in his trial for armed robbery of sports memorabilia. Simpson was foud guilty and sentenced up to 33 years in prison.

Simpson did not attend the hearing, which is likely evidence of the hopeless argument his lawyers presented. They claimed the jury was prejudicial because there were no whites. They also claimed two black potential jurors were deliberately kept off the jury for no good reason.

In fact, the two potential jurors were associated with prison ministries and both had relatives who had been falsely accused of crimes. While the Nevada Supreme Court is not expected to rule for sometime, the general consensus is the original trial verdict will be upheld.

Thinking back to how much OJ’s original murder trial fired up racial tensions, I cannot help but compare how fifteen, sixteen years later, OJ’s current legal troubles barely register I the public’s conscious. The idea of a racist conspiracy framing OJ for a crime he did not commit, which was absurd on the ace of it, still resonated with many back then. Now similar claims do not even become a laugh line on late night television.

Racial progress or do we live in far less frivolous times than 1994-95 and cannot be bothered with the likes of OJ?