Yolanda King, the daughter of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, portrayed Medgar Evers' daughter Reena Evers in this film.
Medgar Evers' two sons Darrell Evers and James Van Evers played themselves in this film. His widow Myrlie Evers-Williams was also one of this film's consultants. Unlike her brothers, Reena Evers opted not to play herself. However, she can be seen numerous times as a juror in the 1994 trial.
Delmar Dennis (a key witness against the murderer, Byron de la Beckwith) and his family can be seen as extras in the parade scene. At this film's ending, a title card indicated that Bobby DeLaughter had run for a position as a judge and been defeated. That was true at the time. Subsequently, he was appointed to a judgeship and later elected overwhelmingly to that position.
During the film's first run on cable television after its theatrical release, the "N-word" was overdubbed as "nibbler", for example leading James Woods' character to declare that "You will never convict me of killing a nibbler in the state of Mississippi." This change was also present in the networks' trailers (previews) for their movies-of-the-week. The decision was controversial, as many executives thought that the original audio would be inappropriate for home audiences (which might include children). However, consultation with various civil rights groups led others to take the view that historical accuracy should supersede modern peccadillos. Most networks have since restored the original word, as have all current physical and streaming home releases, in order to highlight the hatred and conflict roiling in America at the time of the film's setting.