Grace to be replaced on TV show by Simpson judge

[May 25, 2011]  LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The judge who sentenced O.J. Simpson to prison plans to take over for Nancy Grace on the syndicated television show "Swift Justice."

Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass, who sentenced the former football star to nine to 33 years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping in 2008, submitted her resignation to Nevada's governor on Tuesday, her clerk, Elana Roberto, told The AP.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval received the letter, his spokeswoman Mary-Sarah Kinner said.

Grace said in a release from CBS Television Distribution that she's leaving after the show's first season because it's relocating production to Los Angeles from Atlanta.

"Leaving such a successful show was a tough decision," Grace said.

Grace will continue to host her justice-themed cable show "Nancy Grace" on CNN's Headline News.

Promoted with the tagline "no robe, no gavel, no prisoners," "Swift Justice" featured Grace sorting out varied disputes submitted by viewers and fans.

Glass said in a statement that she's honored to take the new post. Her last day in court in Las Vegas is June 10.

Glass, a former anchor and crime reporter with experience on television and radio, is known for severe sentences and a strong personality in the courtroom. She had been a district court judge since 2003.

Simpson was her most high-profile defendant during a closely watched trial that featured several back-and-forth exchanges between Glass and others in the courtroom. Some of Glass' comments were so animated, she was parodied by "Saturday Night Live" and Jay Leno in jokes about the trial.

"As you can see, I'm not stodgy and stuffy," she told the jury in the Simpson case. "I am probably more animated than what you expect of a judge. That's not to say I don't take this seriously."

During one portion of the trial, Glass became heated when the lead investigator in the case blurted out a claim of possible misconduct by a friend of Simpson's.

"I'm surprised you haven't seen my head spin and fire come out of my mouth at this point in this trial," Glass said from the bench.

Simpson appealed his conviction and lost, but the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that Glass erred when she denied a motion to separate his trial from co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart.

Simpson's lawyers had alleged 34 instances of judicial misconduct by Glass during the trial. The high court rejected them all.

Glass presides over the state's mental health court program in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. The state's Mental Health Court system -- which provides a voluntary alternative to jail time for offenders suffering from mental illness -- was among the first of its kind in the U.S.

[Associated Press; By OSKAR GARCIA]

Oskar Garcia can be reached at http://twitter.com/oskargarcia.

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