Johnnie Cochran : Highlights of his work in OJ Simpson's case

The trial of the century, OJ Simpsons 8 month long trial was one for the history books. Although OJ was the main point of attention in the case, many people have come to recognize a very important figure who has become very synonymous with the man himself who is identified by the name of Johnnie Cochran. Many news reports had reported that Leonard Deadwyler, an African-American man, was show dead by police during a traffic stop in 1966. Deadwyler was unarmed and had been speeding in order to get his pregnant wife to the hospital. After the district attorney did not press charges, Deadwylers family hired Cochran to sue the city of Los Angeles. Although he did not win the civil suit, Cochran described it as the case that affected him the most, according to The Washington Post source. It dispelled his beliefs that about ¨The existence of equal justice for all and Lady and Justice being blind.¨ Instead of seeing it as a failure, Cochran used the Deadwyler case as an inspiration for his career path, and his mission in his career became to do everything in his power to ensure the justice system didn't fail the African-American community. His drive to ensure justice within his race lead him into the OJ case , not only did he join the case but he became the lead attorney. His history with police brutality in the city of Los Angeles is the reason as to why his arguments were so closely attuned to the racial politics of LA at the time of the case. This case had put Mr. Cochran in the spotlight, and variety of opinions were generated about him. One of his most famous lines during the OJ case was ¨If it doesn't fit, you must acquit. He used this phrase that was originally devised by his defense team member Gerald Uelmen, as a way to persuade the jury that Simpson could not have murdered both Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. In a dramatic scene, Simpson appeared to have difficulty getting the glove on as it was stained with the blood of both victims and OJ himself and found at the crime scene. Cochran did not represent Simpson in the subsequent civil trial for the same murders, and Simpson was found liable for the deaths. Cochran was criticized during the criminal trial by pundits, as well as by prosecutor Christopher Darden, for suggesting that the police were trying to frame Simpson because they were racist. Cochran told the majority-black jury that police officers were trying to frame Simpson because of his race. At one point Robert Shapiro, co-counsel on the Simpson defense team, accused Cochran of dealing the ¨Race card from the bottom deck¨. In response the lead attorney had replied with ¨It is not a case about race, it is a case about reasonable doubt¨ and emphasized the fact that lots of white people are not willing to accept this verdict.