diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/transcripts_utils.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/transcripts_utils.py
index a293595819..5009feb497 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/transcripts_utils.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/video_module/transcripts_utils.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Utility functions for transcripts.
 from __future__ import absolute_import
 
 import copy
-import json
+import simplejson as json
 import logging
 import os
 from functools import wraps
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/tests/test_video_handlers.py b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/tests/test_video_handlers.py
index 519a789bf2..ace597aaad 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/courseware/tests/test_video_handlers.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/courseware/tests/test_video_handlers.py
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ class TestTranscriptAvailableTranslationsBumperDispatch(TestVideo):
 
         request = Request.blank('/' + self.dispatch)
         response = self.item.transcript(request=request, dispatch=self.dispatch)
-        self.assertEqual(json.loads(response.body.decode('utf-8')), [lang])
+        self.assertEqual(json.loads(response.body), [lang])
 
     @patch('xmodule.video_module.transcripts_utils.get_available_transcript_languages')
     def test_multiple_available_translations(self, mock_get_transcript_languages):
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/verify_student/tests/test_views.py b/lms/djangoapps/verify_student/tests/test_views.py
index 483f4124e4..730f201bb8 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/verify_student/tests/test_views.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/verify_student/tests/test_views.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Tests of verify_student views.
 
 from __future__ import absolute_import
 
-import json
+import simplejson as json
 from datetime import timedelta
 from uuid import uuid4
 
@@ -1637,7 +1637,7 @@ class TestSubmitPhotosForVerification(TestCase):
     def _get_post_data(self):
         """Retrieve POST data from the last request. """
         last_request = moto.packages.httpretty.last_request()
-        return json.loads(last_request.body.decode('utf-8'))
+        return json.loads(last_request.body)
 
 
 class TestPhotoVerificationResultsCallback(ModuleStoreTestCase):
diff --git a/requirements/edx/base.in b/requirements/edx/base.in
index 9d53532d7f..fdbf3a175a 100644
--- a/requirements/edx/base.in
+++ b/requirements/edx/base.in
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@ redis==2.10.6                       # celery task broker
 requests-oauthlib                   # Simplifies use of OAuth via the requests library, used for CCX and LTI
 random2
 rules                               # Django extension for rules-based authorization checks
+simplejson
 sailthru-client==2.2.3              # For Sailthru integration
 Shapely                             # Geometry library, used for image click regions in capa
 six                                 # Utilities for supporting Python 2 & 3 in the same codebase
diff --git a/requirements/edx/base.txt b/requirements/edx/base.txt
index 8f8eee3c51..6f259a1305 100644
--- a/requirements/edx/base.txt
+++ b/requirements/edx/base.txt
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ scipy==1.2.1
 semantic-version==2.8.2   # via edx-drf-extensions
 shapely==1.6.4.post2
 shortuuid==0.5.0          # via edx-django-oauth2-provider
-simplejson==3.16.0        # via mailsnake, sailthru-client
+simplejson==3.16.0
 singledispatch==3.4.0.3
 six==1.12.0
 slumber==0.7.1            # via edx-bulk-grades, edx-enterprise, edx-rest-api-client