Convictions, acquittals and mistrials -- the notable verdicts of 2016

Court cases can have a lasting impact, not only for the people directly involved, but for the public who follow the story as it develops. Many people still remember where they were and what they were doing when the O.J. Simpson verdict came down in 1995.

2016 also had some high-profile decisions -- some brought closure and others brought more anger.

One of the most notable trials was of accused Charleston church massacre suspect, Dylann Roof. It took jurors just two hours to convict the self-declared white supremacist of all 33 counts brought against him. In June of 2015, Roof shot and killed nine black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church while they were attending bible study.

It wasn't the jury's decision, but rather the judge's decision that stirred controversy in the case of an accused sexual assault suspect. Brock Turner was found guilty of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman near the campus of Stanford University. The former college athlete faced up to ten years in prison -- but the judge sentenced him to six months and he was released in three months for good behavior. Widespread outrage shortly after the verdict drew people to criticize the sentence as far too lenient.

Jurys also awarded millions of dollars in several high-profile lawsuits including sportscaster Erin Andrew's and former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan's privacy suits -- as well as a lawsuit filed against Johnson & Johnson over the company's baby powder.

Click through the gallery above to see more decisions from 2016 including the mistrials of two police officers accused of shootings that sparked widespread protests.

By: Lindsay Keeler