One of the greatest attorneys of our time, Johnnie Cochran, was sent off in regal fashion yesterday in Los Angeles. Approximately 5,000 people turned out to bid farewell to the man who ‘turned the Juice loose’ in the Trial of the Century. Famous Cochran clients O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson — taking time off from his child molestation trial — paid their respects, along with Sean “Puffy” Combs and a host of other celebrities.
The Reverend Al Sharpton eulogized the swashbuckling barrister who helped people like former Black Panther Geronimo Pratt, wrongly imprisoned for 27 years, win his freedom. Sharpton said: “With all due respect to you, brother Simpson, we didn’t clap when the acquittal of Simpson came for O.J. We were clapping for Johnnie. We were clapping because for decades our brothers, our cousins, our uncles had to stand in the well with no one to stand up for them. And finally a black man came and said, ‘If it don’t fit, you must acquit.’” CBS News reports:
Also in attendance was attorney Rikki Klieman, a friend of Cochran’s who also was co-host of “Cochran and Company” on Court TV from 1997-98.
“Johnnie was so much more,” says Klieman. “Johnnie was a man of God, a man of soul who was very close to the spirit. And if you couldn’t rejoice in that church, then you had lost your connection. It was a day of celebration of life.
“I think that Johnnie would have loved it if he was looking down,” she continues. “He would have loved the fact that people actually walked that paparazzi line. It was like walking a red carpet at the Oscars. And that what people felt inside that hall was the goodness of his life, his commitment to the poor and the theme, of course, as the program showed, of his journey for justice.”
Last night on MSNBC’s The Abrams Report, Dan Abrams asked if Cochran’s lasting legacy would be the Simpson trial. Abrams noted that it would be unfortunate if he was forever remembered as a man that helped in a great miscarriage of justice. One of Cochran’s friends said that would not be his legacy. This is probably half correct.
Cochran’s legacy will undoubtedly be the O.J. Simpson trial. Lawyers are just not all that famous in this country, and no lawyer ever attained more notoriety than Cochran for his brilliant defense of O.J. The simple fact is that Cochran’s passing would have gotten almost no media coverage if not for the Simpson trial. But I don’t believe Cochran will be thought of negatively for the Simpson trial.
No matter what your personal beliefs about Simpson, it’s tough to get past the fact that Cochran did a masterful job — the pinnacle of advocacy — in helping O.J. secure his freedom. Cochran has never been accused of anything more than gamesmanship, it isn’t as if he bribed a juror or anything like that. (I point out that famed barrister Clarence Darrow almost certainly did bribe a juror at one point in his career.) Cochran did everything right, and his efforts were rewarded with a victory. It was outstanding work. People are going to remember Cochran for his ingenious quip more than anything.
Nathan Novak at 11:41 am
I liked Mr. Cochran.
Comment by Jan Smith — April 7, 2005 @ 2:53 pm
The Chewabacca Defense!!
Comment by Anonymous — April 7, 2005 @ 3:21 pm