It looks like Christopher Darden wants to become the next Lance Ito, as he campaigns for an open seat on the Superior Court of Los Angeles.
For true-crime junkies, those two names should evoke memories of the so-called “trial of the century” 30 years ago, when Darden and co-prosecutor Marcia Clark unsuccessfully argued before a jury in Judge Ito’s court to have football hero O.J. Simpson convicted of double-murder. Unfortunately for Darden, Clark and the families of Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and of Ron Goldman, the jury acquitted Simpson of their murders.
Prosecutors Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden talk to the media after the acquittal of O.J. Simpson in Los Angeles in this Oct. 3, 1995 file photo,(AP Photo/Pool, David Sprague)
Now Darden, a Richmond native who graduated from San Jose State University and studied law at UC Hastings, essentially wants a crack at Ito’s job, donning a judge’s black robe, sitting behind the bench and running the courtroom.
And, Darden’s campaign has announced that he has received the backing of Ito himself, who is retired, as well as two other prominent figures in the case of People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson.
Kim Goldman, Goldman’s sister, and Fred Goldman, Goldman’s father, have announced their endorsements of Darden, according to TMZ. Kim Golden said that Darden “was a friend to my family during one of the darkest times in our lives. He helped change the focus of a ‘celebrity murder trial’ and made it about the victims.”
Kim Golden also said, “My family has never forgotten that, and I am sure it is remembered by countless other family members for whom he has been an advocate and a champion.”
Darden, 67, has been a criminal attorney for more than 40 years. The first 15 of those were in the Los Angeles County District’s Attorney’s Office, where Ito also was a prosecutor and the two worked together in what was then known as the Hardcore Gang Division, according to Darden’s website.
Darden has worked in private practice for the past 27 years. He also has taught law in Southern California, authored books and provided legal commentary to a number of news outlets, including CNN and NBC.
TMZ reported that Darden has a good shot at winning the election, which takes place next month, given that he has secured a number of endorsements from high-profile figures in the L.A. legal establishment.
Defense attorney Johnny Cochran Jr., standing at left, confers with prosecutors Marcia Clark, Christopher Darden and William Hodgman. (1995) (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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On his website, Darden talks up his work on the Simpson case, saying that the almost non-stop TV coverage of the trial made the country aware of his “passion for victims and their rights to be heard.” He said he continues to be an outspoken advocate for victims and their families.
But for a long time, Darden seemed eager to put the Simpson trial behind him, as some in the public criticized him and Clark for losing what was believed to be a slam-dunk case, which was backed by DNA evidence and testimony that Nicole Brown Simpson was a victim of domestic violence.
America got to dive back into the case in 2016, when FX aired its hit mini-series, “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson.” Sterling K. Brown, a Stanford University graduate, portrayed Darden and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series.
The series dramatized the moment for which Darden became infamous: When he pushed the idea of having Simpson try on a pair of bloody gloves that were found at the crime scene.
The former NFL star great made a show of struggling to put the gloves on, allowing his charismatic defense attorney Johnnie Cochran to coin the phrase, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
In a 2016 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Darden defended the glove demonstration as “one of the greatest courtroom scenes in American history.” He also maintains that the demonstration should have worked in the prosecution’s favor because the gloves fit, despite Simpson acting as though the didn’t.
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