📄 Sidebar: ice cream evidence — Thursday, March 9, 1995
📅 Mar 9 — Day 34
⚖️ Lance A. Ito
chain_of_custodytimeline
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAR\9\SIDEBAR-ICE-CREAM-EVIDENCE.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 34 of 167

Sidebar: ice cream evidence

Date: Thursday, March 9, 1995 • Utterances: 7
Cochran objects at sidebar to questioning about an ice cream melting experiment, arguing the witness wasn't present during the test and only saw photographs afterward, making the testimony vague and of little probative value. Judge Ito overrules, holding that the objections go to weight rather than admissibility, and dismisses the dispute as 'a lot of arm waving about something that is not real important.'
1 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD AT THE BENCH:)
2 THE COURT:

AT THE SIDE BAR.

3 MR. COCHRAN:

YOUR HONOR, I OBJECT TO THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING. FIRST OF ALL, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, HE WASN'T PRESENT AT THE EXPERIMENT, HE SAW SOME PICTURES AFTERWARDS. AND THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THEY DIDN'T TAKE ANY PHOTOGRAPHS, WE DON'T HAVE ANY PHOTOGRAPHS OF WHAT WAS ON THE BANISTER, SO THIS QUESTION IS VAGUE AND IT IS INDEFINITE AND UNINTELLIGIBLE AND I WANTED TO APPROACH SO I COULD AT LEAST EXPRESS THAT. WHAT WE HAVE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IS A TEST DONE AFTER I RAISED THE ISSUE IN FIVE-MINUTE INTERVALS THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHS. HE WASN'T AT THAT TEST HE ONLY HAS A PICTURE AT THE END. WE DON'T KNOW IF IT IS THE SAME ICE CREAM OR WHATEVER BY VIRTUE OF SOME OF THE QUESTIONS OF SOME PEOPLE HE DID NOT TALK TO, AND SO I THINK THAT THIS HAS A VERY LITTLE PROBATIVE VALUE AND IT IS AN IMPROPER QUESTION.

4 THE COURT:

ALL RIGHT. THE OBJECTION --

5 MS. CLARK:

THE --

6 THE COURT:

THE OBJECTION WILL BE OVERRULED. IT DOESN'T GO TO WHETHER OR NOT THIS TESTIMONY IS ADMISSIBLE. IT GOES TO WHATEVER THE JURY WANTS TO ACCORD IT. SINCE THERE IS A DISPUTE AS TO WHAT ICE CREAM IT WAS, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TEMPERATURE IT WAS WHEN THIS EXPERIMENT WAS CONDUCTED, BUT THAT GOES TO THE WEIGHT THAT YOU WANT TO ACCORD WHETHER OR NOT IT SHOULD BE DETERMINED TO BE VALID. A LOT OF ARM WAVING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS NOT REAL IMPORTANT.

7 (THE FOLLOWING PROCEEDINGS WERE HELD IN OPEN COURT:)

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Johnnie Cochran
WE DON'T KNOW IF IT IS THE SAME ICE CREAM OR WHATEVER BY VIRTUE OF SOME OF THE QUESTIONS OF SOME PEOPLE HE DID NOT TALK TO
Cochran challenges chain of custody and foundation for the experiment — the identity and condition of the ice cream itself is disputed.
Lance A. Ito
A LOT OF ARM WAVING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS NOT REAL IMPORTANT.
Judge openly minimizes the significance of Cochran's objection, signaling skepticism of the defense's concern and setting a dismissive tone.
Lance A. Ito
IT DOESN'T GO TO WHETHER OR NOT THIS TESTIMONY IS ADMISSIBLE. IT GOES TO WHATEVER THE JURY WANTS TO ACCORD IT.
Standard admissibility vs. weight ruling, but delivered with notable curtness.

Evidence (1)

Informal
Photographs taken at 5-minute intervals during an ice cream melting experiment on a banister
discussed, challenged on foundation

Notable Exchanges (1)

Johnnie CochranLance A. Ito
Cochran mounts a multi-pronged attack on the ice cream experiment — no photos of initial state, witness absent during test, unknown temperature conditions — and Ito cuts through it by ruling it goes to weight and calling it 'arm waving.'
dismissive

Light Moments (1)

Lance A. Ito
Ito calls the entire dispute 'a lot of arm waving about something that is not real important' — an unusually colorful dismissal from the bench.

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)
Proceeding 5227 • 7 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 MAR 9, 1995 📄 Sidebar: ice cream evidence
MAR 9, 1995 KRT DvH TD