Lance Ito

Lance Allan Ito (born August 2, 1950) is a Los Angeles Superior Court judge who hears felony criminal cases at the county courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, California.

Related Topics:
August 2 - 1950 - Judge - Felony - Criminal cases - Los Angeles, California

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In 1992, he presided over Charles H. Keating Jr.'s trial in the Savings and Loan scandal; Keating's 10-year sentence was later overturned on appeal because Ito had neglected to instruct the jury to determine whether Keating intended to defraud investors.

Related Topics:
1992 - Charles H. Keating Jr. - Savings and Loan scandal - Appeal

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Ito became familiar to American television viewers when he presided over the 1995 murder trial of O. J. Simpson at which Simpson was acquitted.

Related Topics:
American television - 1995 - O. J. Simpson - Acquitted

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Many judges disliked Ito's handling of the Simpson case because they felt he allowed his courtroom to be turned into part of the media circus. This is why since then, judges overseeing high-profile trials have forbidden videotaping of the trial proceedings. Ito was the subject of parody with comedian Jay Leno's Dancing Itos a regular part of The Tonight Show during the Simpson trial.

Related Topics:
Media circus - Jay Leno - The Tonight Show

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He earned his J.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley's Boalt Hall in 1975. In 1981, he married Margaret Anne York, the highest ranking woman in the Los Angeles Police Department. York is currently head of the Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety.

Related Topics:
J.D. - University of California, Berkeley - Boalt Hall - 1981 - Margaret Anne York - Los Angeles Police Department

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Ito continues to hold office as a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge. A number of attorneys working downtown have praised Judge Ito's fairness and command of the law.

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