American Decades
Race, Justice, and the Media
Conflicts over Rights.
The Bill of Rights guarantees citizens freedom of expression, a free press, and the right to a fair trial. Journalists argued that they had the right to cover every trial based on the public's right to know. Lawyers and judges maintained that publicity should not affect judicial trials. During the 1990s, however, these rights appeared to be in conflict in two highly publicized cases, which were further complicated when some segments of the public perceived the incidents and verdicts to be racially tainted.
King Beating.
On 3 March 1991 Rodney Glen King, a high school dropout who had served a year in prison for theft and aggravated assault, was driving on a California freeway with two friends. When Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers attempted to stop him for speeding, King, who had been drinking and was still on parole, led the police on a high-speed chase and was finally forced off...
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1990's Law and Justice
