Hiroshi Fujisaki presided over the O.J. Simpson civil trial, managing a sprawling case across 57 trial days from October 1996 through the February 1997 verdicts. He ran a tight courtroom, ruling decisively on pretrial motions, policing the boundaries of expert testimony, and pushing both sides to resolve scheduling disputes without delay. His evidentiary rulings shaped the trial's contours — he allowed cross-examination on Simpson's infidelity and domestic violence for credibility purposes, yet barred an FBI expert from attaching statistical probabilities to fiber evidence. When the jury returned its verdict finding Simpson liable and awarding $25 million in punitive damages, Fujisaki oversaw the polling, formally dismissed the jury, and lifted the gag order that had governed the proceedings.