Plessey V. Simpson Case Analysis

In the sole dissent of the Plessey v. Ferguson case, Justice Harlan proclaimed that “[o]ur Constitution in color-blind and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens” (Linder, 2016). Yet trials in America have long included conversations about race, such as with the infamous O. J. Simpson trial. Legal distinctions based on race are also frequently made, such as is done when considering college admission. These conversations and distinctions are allowed because in reality, neither the Constitution nor the American justice system are truly color-blind. Nor should they be; a color-conscious Constitution and justice system allow America an attempt to make up for past sins, such as the ruling of Plessey v. Ferguson. The 1995 murder trial
The prosecution claimed this was to reduce the commuting time of prosecutors; however, some argue that this was done to avoid protests that could have ignited over a conviction by mostly white jury in Santa Monica (Linder, 2000). Additionally, the prosecution put Mark Fuhrman on the stand, the Los Angeles detective with a history of racist remarks who handled some of the most damning evidence (Linder, 2000). Despite all the evidence against him, including his blood found at the murder scene, O. J. Simpson was acquitted (Linder, 2000). Public opinion over Simpson’s case was divided along racial lines: many black Americans believed the former football star had been framed by a racist police force, and saw Simpson’s acquittal as a victory for black America; many white Americans believed Simpson was guilty and the justice system had failed a victim of domestic violence in Nicole Simpson. Without question, the O.J. Simpson trial revealed that the race conversation was not over. The O.J. Simpson trial represented the frustration that black Americans felt towards the criminal justice system. When the black community celebrated O.J. Simpson’s acquittal, they were celebrating a victory against a system that persecuted black men
This uneven playing field is evident in both America’s education system and criminal justice system. From United States v. Schooner Amistad, in which the freedom of abducted Africans was questioned, to Plessey v. Ferguson, in which the Court claimed that laws allowing segregation "do not necessarily imply the inferiority of either race to the other” (Linder, 2016), the American justice system has been forced to address color. Legal decisions such as Plessey v. Ferguson allowed for racial segregation until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 (Linder,