Judge Ito's Court Will Go Dark in Budget Cut The vast Los Angeles County court system is about to take a huge budget cut that will close dozens of courtrooms including that of its most famous jurist, Superior Court Judge Lance Ito. Ito, who presided over the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1995, will be reassigned to fill in on cases for which no judge is available after 56 courtrooms go dark by June 30. The new $30 million budget slashing will also lay off 100 non-courtroom workers and force some judges to share courtroom staff. Court reporters will no longer be provided for civil cases, forcing litigants to hire their own stenographers if they want to preserve the court record. Presiding Judge Lee Edmon on Tuesday predicted long lines and delays in getting access to the justice system.