The Baby Judge Presiding Over O.J. Simpson’s Preliminary Hearing

Justice of The Peace Joe Bonaventure has only been a lawyer for three years. With the kind of luck you can only get in Las Vegas, Bonaventure is serving his first term on the Clark County Nevada Bench. Bonaventure also has the publicity driven O.J. Simpson case on his judicial plate.

I have been in hundreds of courtrooms and before hundreds of judges as a cop, private investigator and TV news producer. The high profile cases always seem to cause the judges to play to the publicity. Judges like Lance Ito, Larry Paul Fiddler are at their worst when in the limelight.

Here we have this lad in a black robe who shows no agenda, does not talk to simply hear his voice or look to crack jokes from the bench. He seems, attentive, fair and has a demeanor far beyond his years. Perhaps this young fellow has learned form the successes and mistakes of his father who is a long time District Court Judge.

The citizens of Clark County are lucky to have this young jurist. O.J. Simpson is lucky to have this fellow who is really a buffer protecting him from the government. Our Bill of Rights is only as good as the judges who are there to enforce them.