Yale Galanter - Articles - Zimbio

OJ SIMPSON VERDICT IN - Hopefully he gets Bum Raped in Prison

Fri, 4 Oct 2008 16:07:00 GMT

posted by htbw
The Glove finally fit and the Jury did NOT acquit

O.J. Simpson (R) embraces his lawyer Yale Galanter after he was convicted on all charges in his Las Vegas kidnapping and robbery trial at the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas October 3, 2008. Simpson, the former football star who was famously cleared of murder in the 1990s "Trial of the Century", was convicted along with co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart on the 13th anniversary of his controversial 1995 acquittal, was ordered jailed by Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass immediately after the verdict. Simpson and Stewart face sentences of up to life in prison when they are sentenced on Dec. 5.

O.J. Simpson, the former football star who was famously cleared of double murder in the sensational 1990s "Trial of the Century," was found guilty on all charges in his Las Vegas kidnapping and robbery case on Friday.

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Simpson was convicted along with co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart on the 13th anniversary of his controversial 1995 acquittal and immediately jailed by Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass.

Both Simpson, 61, and Stewart, 54, face mandatory minimum sentences of five years behind bars and could be sentenced to life in prison.

The star-athlete-turned-actor appeared somber and emotional as the verdict was read late on Friday night, and winced as he was handcuffed by marshals and led from the courtroom into a holding cell.

His sister, Carmelita Durio, collapsed in the courtroom gallery and his daughter Arnelle sobbed as he and Stewart were led away. Durio was treated by paramedics.

Lawyers for Simpson and Stewart asked Glass to let the two men remain free pending sentencing on December 5 -- a request the judge summarily rejected.

Simpson's lead attorney, Yale Galanter, said he would appeal the conviction, which came after some 13 hours of deliberation in a single day by the jury of nine women and three men.

Galanter said Simpson's past as a notorious murder defendant, widely seen as having eluded justice in Los Angeles, was a factor in the swift verdict reached by the Las Vegas jurors.

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DEFENSE SAYS VERDICT 'NOT A SHOCK'

"The verdict was not a shock. We knew it going in, there was a lot of baggage," he said.

Galanter said the jurors' answers on questionnaires indicated that they were predisposed to find Simpson guilty.

Members of the jury, who worked well into the night before returning their unanimous guilty verdicts on all 12 counts against both defendants, told the judge they would not speak to reporters. Prosecutors also declined to address the media.

Simpson and Stewart were convicted of conspiracy, burglary, kidnapping, robbery and assault.

The case centered on an armed raid by Simpson and five cohorts on a pair of sports memorabilia dealers at the Palace Station hotel and casino in September 2007.

Witnesses said the men stormed into room 1203 of the hotel and took thousands of dollars' worth of collectibles from dealers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley at gunpoint.

Defense lawyers argued that Simpson went to the hotel only to retrieve personal mementos that were stolen from him following his murder trial and was unaware that two of his sidekicks were armed.

Four of the other men originally charged in the case have agreed to plead guilty and all took the witness stand for the prosecution during nearly three weeks of testimony that concluded on Wednesday.

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Neither Simpson nor Stewart testified in their own defense.

Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed and slashed to death on June 12, 1994, and the popular former athlete known as "The Juice" was charged.

Simpson was found not guilty on October 3, 1995 at the end of a yearlong trial that was carried live gavel-to-gavel on U.S. television and transfixed much of the world.

A civil court jury later found Simpson liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to the victims' families, a judgment that remains largely unpaid.

Jury Found O.J. Simpson Guilty

Fri, 4 Oct 2008 17:05:00 GMT

posted by cljose01

It is now official that O.J. Simpson is guilty and “convicted on all counts, including robbery and kidnapping. He'll be sentenced Dec. 5...Simpson and his codefendant, Clarence Stewart, were both convicted on all 12 counts. As the court clerk read "guilty" 24 times shortly before 11 p.m." Click here to read full article.

This is indeed unpleasant news for Mr. Simpson and his family, but good news for those he has "supposedly" wronged and painfully hurt (?). Simpson's lawyer, Yale Galanter, said "They (the Jury) were on an agenda." Anthony Bradley, an African American theologian and social critic, of The Institute observes, "The jury of nine men and three women, none of them African-American, reached its verdict after 13 hours of deliberations Friday. Jurors heard from 22 witnesses over 12 days of testimony. Chief among the witnesses were seven of the nine people inside Room 1203 of the Palace Station Hotel and Casino for the September 13, 2007, confrontation."

Let's reason, ladies and gentlemen: Is it necessary for an individual (or people) of the minority group (such as African Americans or others) facing a legal trial like a serious one like OJ's, to have a represented mixed jury composed of a diverse group of people (let's say whites and blacks, Asians or Latinos, etc) ?

Second, prior to his (final) trial, did Mr. Simpson have the right to request the inclusion and assistance of African Americans Jury? If he did, why didn't he or his defense attorney submit a request? Would the case have turned to a different conclusion, if at least, the Jury was racially diverse composed of both whites and blacks, and other races? Perhaps! Unfortunately, you and I would (perhaps) have never known the potential outcome, if only the presence of African American men and women in the Jury was counted. The reason for this was because there was not a single one there and present.

Finally, I must confess that I’m not a lawyer and have not studied legal affairs. But one thing that stands out in the history of our country is that the justice system in the United States has not been a fair play to minority, particularly people of African descent. When we look at present and past statistical figures of those who have been trialed and eventually placed behind the bar, minority constitute a large segment of these individuals. Hence the normality is that the legal system has betrayed the alienated rights of these children of America. They have continually been misrepresented, found guilty for crimes they have not orchestrated, and eventually confined to secluded places we call “prison.”

On the other hand, going back to OJ’s final verdict, if the Jury that administered and assisted his trial is there to enforce and uphold the law, maintain individual’s freedom and rights, protect citizens from criminals, and render justice where it is due, I reckon the outcome would not have been contrary to what’s been witnessed today, even if therein the presence or visibility of (an) African American Jury. Nonetheless, in OJ’s case, the verdict is successfully effected exclusively by a Caucasian Jury. We infer that Jury in any significant legal case, if all possible, should reflect best the composite nature of the citizens of this country and should not restrict solely to the dominant group. When the latter occurs and triumphs we deny fundamentally the great American vision that we are “a melting pot” people and thus defer justice, opportunity, liberty, diversity, and freedom of which America is known around the world.

O.J. Simpson jury selection starts Monday, could take a while

Sun, 8 Sep 2008 20:47:54 GMT

posted by gaysocialites

Jury selection for O.J. Simpson's robbery-kidnap trial began Monday, and it might be a struggle to find jurors who can't remember his murder trial.

Judge Jackie Glass rejected defense attorney Yale Galanter's request to ask if prospective jurors thought Simpson was a murderer, and when the panel was brought in for questioning she sternly lectured the group.

"If you are here thinking you are going to punish Mr. Simpson for what happened in Los Angeles in 1995, this is not the case for you," she said. "If you're looking to become famous because of your service in this case, write a book, then this is not the case for you."

O.J. is, of course, accused of barging into a Las Vegas hotel room where he held memoriabilia collecters at gun point and robbed them.

Simpson claims the items were stolen, and he was just coming to collect them.

OJ Simpson Guilty of Armed Robbery

Fri, 4 Oct 2008 09:55:36 GMT

posted by BabyBoomerQueen

The Juice, OJ Simpson, was found guilty in Las Vegas yesterday on armed robbery, kidnapping, and several other charges, after he and a group of other men stormed a hotel room to retrieve some sports items that he said was stolen from him. One of the men was armed with a handgun during the confrontation.

OJ Simpson Waking Up Behind Bars

Sun, 6 Oct 2008 14:23:40 GMT

posted by dishtv21

It took 13 years for justice to get served but OJ Simpson is finally going to jail. I’m glad that OJ was found guilty for his part in a Las Vegas robbery and the justice in this case makes up for the 2 murders he committed over a decade ago. I know he will be serving time on unrelated charges for the homicides, but the Goldman family has to be pleased about the jury’s verdict in Las Vegas. OJ was apparently trying to get some of his sports collectibles back and him and a couple of guys used guns in this robbery. They got charged with armed robbery and kidnapping and his sentence will be handed down on December 5th of this year.

I’m not sure how much of his past troubles was a factor in this case. Since he got convicted on all 12 charges, it leads me to believe that it did play a part. I’m sure OJ Simpson will appeal these charges, but for now the ex-great football star is behind bars. I’m sure OJ was hoping that this was a bad nightmare when he woke up in jail this morning, but it looks like he will be waking up behind bars for a long time to come. I hope the families of the victims in California can get some satisfaction that the man responsible for their loss will no longer be allowed to roam our streets. Everyone knows OJ was guilty and regardless of why he might be behind bars now, it’s good to know that justice finally got served!