📄 Morning session opening — Thursday, August 10, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\AUG\10\MORNING-SESSION-OPENING.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 133 of 167

Morning session opening

Date: Thursday, August 10, 1995 • Utterances: 24
Judge Ito opens the session out of jury presence to address housekeeping matters from a prior in-chambers conference. Cochran clarifies that the Court's previous ruling on discovery and the shield law did not preclude the defense from calling witnesses Bosco, Michele Kestler, and Tracie Savage the following week. Clark references trial briefs 8 and 12 on Kestler admissibility, and Ito asks clerks to pull them in preparation for argument early next week.
1 (Appearances as heretofore noted; also present, Paul M. Kistler, Esquire, representing Matthew H. Schwartz, Esquire; Matthew H. Schwartz and Ron Regwan, Esquire, representing Laura Hart McKinny.)
2 (Janet M. Moxham, CSR no. 4855, official reporter.)
3 (Christine M. Olson, CSR no. 2378, official reporter.)
4 (The following proceedings were held in open court, out of the presence of the jury:)
5 THE COURT:

Back on the record in the Simpson matter. Mr. Simpson is again present before the Court with his counsel, Mr. Shapiro, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Blasier, Mr. Scheck. The People are represented by Miss Clark, Mr. Darden and Mr. Kelberg. The jury is not present. The record should reflect that we had a brief in chambers conference this morning to--the purpose of which was for counsel to alert the Court of certain issues that will be coming up shortly. Mr. Cochran, anything else? Mr. Clarke, anything else we need to discuss before we invite the jurors to join us?

6 MR. COCHRAN:

I would like to, if I might. Good morning, your Honor.

7 THE COURT:

Mr. Cochran again.

8 MR. COCHRAN:

Your Honor, in this matter first there are really two things and the one perhaps can wait, but the first thing I would like to call to your Honor's attention and to get a clarification, I think that your Honor's order of yesterday was greatly misunderstood by the so-called legal pundits and others and there was perhaps premature celebration by some and not I think understanding what the import of your Honor's ruling. We expect that ruling, your Honor, with regard to the discovery issues under that, but the Court will recall that in the course of Mr. Uelmen's argument, Professor Uelmen's argument, he had indicated that we felt that we had a right to call Mr. Bosco because certainly there had been a waiver of the shield law with regard to the article that was published in penthouse last year. And we had never intended to ask Mr. Bosco who his sources were, so I wanted to indicate to the Court and make sure that my understanding was correct, that we still plan on calling him after the testimony of Dr. Baden. We also plan, as you know, to call Michele Kestler. She will be on a number of issues, and we still also believe that Tracie Savage can be called from the standpoint. We cannot pierce the shield law perhaps at this point, but we think there is certainly relevant testimony with regard to the fact that she made this report, made two reports if the Court recalls, and the reports were in error, and the reports fit right into what we believe is a reasonable inference that can be drawn. So the point I just wanted to make that your order did not preclude us from calling those individuals and we still plan to do it next week. Now, I understand the People may still have some further objection, and that is fine, but I'm just putting everybody on notice that we plan to do that next week, your Honor.

9 THE COURT:

I'm surprised you take your legal analysis from the pundits.

KEY QUOTE
10 MR. COCHRAN:

I don't, your Honor. Other people told me about that. I tried not to do that and that is why I was amused last night when everybody told me everybody was making these statements.

11 THE COURT:

I don't depend on the pundits to tell me what it was I meant when I ruled.

KEY QUOTE
12 MR. COCHRAN:

I think, your Honor, we have a better understanding of what you meant and we had talked about this in chambers and did in fact want to put this on the record.

13 THE COURT:

Thank you, counsel.

14 MR. COCHRAN:

With regard to the North Carolina matter, I can address it now, or perhaps address it later in the morning, whatever your Honor's pleasure is. I can make a brief statement now if the Court will care.

15 THE COURT:

Let's save that. Let's use our jury time, since we have already burned up a half hour.

16 MR. COCHRAN:

Sure. Fine.

17 MS. CLARK:

I'm not going to spend anytime correcting the legal pundits. We understand what the Court's ruling was and I think that is all that is required. I had indicated to the Court earlier that we had filed motions concerning the admissibility of that testimony as an issue apart from the discovery matter.

18 THE COURT:

Yes. That was part of your points and authorities regarding my Michele Kestler.

19 MS. CLARK:

That's right, your Honor. I just wanted to point out to the Court, because we have filed so many, that the briefs I'm referring to are trial briefs 8 and 12 that address the issue.

20 THE COURT:

All right. Mrs. Robertson, would you have the law clerks pull 8 and 12. We will just get ready for that argument again somewhere, probably early next week, I suspect.

21 MS. CLARK:

Okay.

22 THE COURT:

All right. All right. Anything else before I invite the jury to join us? All right. Deputy Magnera, let's have the jury, please.

23 (Brief pause.)
24 MR. COCHRAN:

Judge, may we approach on one other issue now?

Temperature

routine

Key Quotes (3)

Lance A. Ito
I'm surprised you take your legal analysis from the pundits.
Ito's dry rebuke to Cochran for raising concerns prompted by TV legal commentators; sets his no-nonsense tone.
Lance A. Ito
I don't depend on the pundits to tell me what it was I meant when I ruled.
Ito firmly establishes that his rulings speak for themselves, a sharp contrast to the Ito-era courtroom atmosphere.
Johnnie Cochran
We cannot pierce the shield law perhaps at this point, but we think there is certainly relevant testimony with regard to the fact that she made this report, made two reports if the Court recalls, and the reports were in error.
Defense previews strategy for calling Tracie Savage: not to expose sources, but to use her erroneous broadcasts as evidence of a pattern.

Evidence (1)

Informal
Trial briefs 8 and 12 addressing admissibility of Michele Kestler testimony
referenced, Judge orders clerks to pull them for upcoming argument

Notable Exchanges (2)

Johnnie CochranLance A. Ito
Cochran raises that media pundits misread the prior day's ruling; Ito curtly dismisses the notion that pundit interpretation matters.
dry, firm
Johnnie CochranLance A. Ito
Cochran flags the North Carolina matter (McKinny tapes) for argument; Ito defers it to preserve jury time.
strategic

Light Moments (1)

Lance A. Ito
Ito's deadpan 'I'm surprised you take your legal analysis from the pundits' after Cochran explains he heard about commentary from others.

Objections

None recorded
Proceeding 7254 • 24 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 AUG 10, 1995 📄 Morning session opening
AUG 10, 1995 KRT DvH TD