UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 8, Page 9
October 19, 1995
Panel to focus on O.J. verdict

     Verdict: The O.J. Simpson Trial," a free public panel discussion
featuring University faculty, will be held from 7:30-9 p.m., Tuesday,
Oct. 24, in Room 115 of Purnell Hall.
     The O.J. Simpson case has been dubbed "the trial of the century."
Whether that exalted status is merited, it is true that the trial was
closely watched by millions of Americans.
     The jury's verdict of acquittal was hailed by some as a
courageous stand against a corrupt police department that tried to
frame a popular black defendant.  Others were outraged that a man they
believe to have brutally murdered two people walked away. Many
observers point to racial differences in reaction to the trail as
evidence of an impenetrable racial divide.
     An analysis of the trial can provide some important lessons about
our legal system, about the continuing significance of race in the
justice system, about domestic violence and about science in the
courtroom.
     Sponsored by the University's Legal Studies and Black American
Studies programs, the Oct. 24 panel will be moderated by Eric Rise,
assistant professor of criminal justice and history, and will feature
Superior Court Judge Richard Gebelein, who is also an adjunct
professor of criminal justice; Valerie Hans, professor of criminal
justice and psychology and director of the Legal Studies Program; Bill
Lawson, chairperson of the Department of Philosophy; and Carole Marks,
professor of sociology and director of the Black American Studies
Program.
     Each panelist will draw on his or her own area of teaching,
research and practice to reflect on the lessons of the O.J. Simpson
trial. Presentations by each of the commentators will be followed by
an opportunity for audience questions and discussion.