In 1992, he presided over the trial of financier Charles H. Keating Jr. Keating's ensuing ten-year sentence was later overturned on appeal because Ito had neglected to instruct the jury to determine whether Keating intended to defraud investors. It was the prosecution's position that Keating was liable as a matter of strict liability.
Ito presided over the 1995 murder trial of O. J. Simpson, at which Simpson was acquitted. His decision to allow television coverage of the trial was controversial, and Ito faced criticism for seeming to enjoy the press and for allowing too many sidebars and recesses. During the trial, the prosecution requested that Ito recuse himself when it came to light that his wife, Margaret York, had been detective Mark Fuhrman's superior officer in the past. Fuhrman had been called to testify by the prosecution regarding his discovery of evidence in the case. During cross-examination, Fuhrman claimed that he had not used racial epithets to refer to African-Americans during the last ten years. Simpson's defense team unearthed tapes in which Fuhrman had used racial epithets as recently as 1988, and they wished to introduce them as evidence to prove that Fuhrman had perjured himself, in order to discredit his testimony. However, in the tapes, Fuhrman disparages York's appearance and suggests that she used her gender to advance in the police force. The prosecution requested that Ito step down because they felt that derogatory remarks toward his wife might bias Ito against Fuhrman, though prosecutors later withdrew the request out of fear that it would result in a mistrial.
Post-Simpson trial career
Ito declined to give interviews regarding the O.J. Simpson murder trial because ethical guidelines for California trial-court judges forbid commenting on pending matters or matters likely to come before the courts. He has noted his disbelief that public interest in the trial extended through the "turgid" DNA section of the trial. He has used his status to work on issues of judicial reform, such as increasing the number of translators and enforcing rules for foreign national defendants in the court. Los Angeles County announced on April 17, 2012, that Ito's courtroom, along with 55 others, would be closed due to budget cuts. Ito retired in 2015.
Popular culture
Ito was portrayed on Saturday Night Live, first by Mike Myers, and then, following Myers' departure from the show, by Mark McKinney. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno had a recurring skit called "The Dancing Itos" featuring five bearded Asian-American dancers. Ito was portrayed by Kenneth Choi in the series . His likeness also appeared as a judge in Pinky and Brain Season 1, Episode 2 "Of Mouse and Man" which aired in September 1995.
