Former Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass, who famously sentenced O.J. Simpson to prison, has died, according to a Facebook post from her daughter.
“(I)t wasn’t supposed to be this way, I just saw you a few hours ago, I will never get over this, you are my everything, how am I supposed to do this life without you?” one of her two daughters, Rachel Wolfson, wrote on Friday. “I love you mommy, I need you.”
Her other daughter is Las Vegas Municipal Judge Rebecca Wolfson. Her husband is Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson.
After Simpson was convicted in 2008 of kidnapping and robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at Palace Station the year before, Glass ordered him to serve nine to 33 years behind bars.
“Earlier in this case, at a bail hearing, I asked — said — to Mr. Simpson I didn’t know if he was arrogant or ignorant or both. And during the trial and through this proceeding, I got this answer, and it was both,” Glass said during the sentencing. “At the time — not after you’ve been locked up for 64 days at the time of this event — and at the time I saw you at the bail hearing, it was clear to the court that you believed you could do in Las Vegas what you couldn’t do elsewhere.”
That moment later became part of her daughter’s comedy routine.
“O.J. Simpson got sent to prison by the same woman who sent me to my room,” Rachel Wolfson said during a performance at The Laugh Factory comedy club in Hollywood in 2023. “But we got out.”
Glass was elected to District Court in 2002 and served on the bench until 2011.
Along with presiding over Simpson’s trial, she oversaw Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan’s case in which the former professional bodybuilders were accused of murdering their assistant in 2005. Glass also was the judge in the case of Ae Kwon, who was accused of trying to extort Celine Dion’s now-deceased husband René Angélil.
She then hosted the courtroom show “Swift Justice with Jackie Glass,” replacing Nancy Grace.
More recently, she worked as a mediator for Advanced Resolution Management. Before earning her law degree from the University of San Diego in 1984, Glass was a reporter covering courts for KTNV-TV, Channel 13.
Las Vegas lawyers and politicians paid tribute to Glass on Friday.
U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley both offered condolences.
“I am heartbroken and feel like I have lost a sister with the passing of Jackie Glass,” said Berkley in a post on X. “We both started practicing law close to the same time and over the last 50 years I have been amazed to see everything she accomplished.”
Cortez Masto said in a post on X, “Judge Glass was an inspiring role model who spent her life fighting for justice for others.”
Defense attorney David Chesnoff said Glass was “a pioneer.”
“Any task she took on she took on with vigor and enthusiasm,” he wrote in a text message. “Steven and Jackie were totally devoted to each other and I am deeply saddened by this news.”
Attorney Lisa Rasmussen appeared in front of Glass many times.
She described Glass as a practical, “no-nonsense” judge and a hard-working, pragmatic mediator who tried to resolve disputes.
“I’m just really devastated to hear of her passing,” she said.
Former Clark County District Attorney David Roger, who prosecuted Simpson, said that trial was “a three-ring circus,” with heavy public attention.
But Glass, who knew how to control her courtroom, maintained her focus and did not play to the media, he recalled.
Years later, Roger said he met Simpson after the defendant was paroled and talked about the case.
He said Simpson, who died in 2024, told him he thought Glass was all right, even though she was tough on him.
Tony Sgro, another longtime lawyer, called Glass “wicked smart.” She treated everyone with respect and was collegial with both prosecutors and defense attorneys, he said.
“The community suffered a great loss today,” he said.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.
