OJ Simpson Curtailed Once Again

Monday, May 30, 2011
Legal Briefs
Las Vegas Business Press

Attorney to appeal O.J. Simpson's Nevada conviction 

As Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass prepares to leave her seat for a career in television, the man who made her famous won't soon be free.

O.J. Simpson, who was convicted in 2008 of armed robbery and kidnapping in connection with a 2007 incident at Palace Station, will not have his appeal heard by the Nevada Supreme Court. 

Simpson, 63, is serving a nine-year to 33-year sentence at the medium security Lovelock Correctional Center. Simpson had been convicted of leading an armed invasion of a sports memorabilia dealer who had items that Simpson claimed were his property.

The only option left for Simpson would be the federal court system. Simpson lawyer Malcolm LaVergne told The Associated Press that he will appeal his client's conviction in federal court.

LaVergne said he believes Simpson's notoriety from his famous 1995 murder trial and acquittal in Los Angeles has made the former football star and actor too controversial for a Nevada Supreme Court Justice to set free.

"What judge wants to be put in the position that they let O.J. go free?" attorney LaVergne told the AP. "We'll work now within the federal court system. ... This is not a fair result for Mr. Simpson, given the facts of the case."

If Simpson's 2008 conviction stands, he will not be eligible for parole until at least 2016.

Reasonable Doubts: The OJSimpson Case and the Criminal Justicc System by Alan Dershowitz