News Article: Double Judge Ito - First Halloween

Double Judge Ito

October 31, 1995

Big Timber (Pioneer) -- The air is turning crisp and the ambiance in this little town is joyful and excited as parents help their young ones into costumes as they prepare for the “trick-or-treat” holiday.  Snow is in the air, jack-o-lanterns are aglow, and haunted houses sit at every corner.  The citizens of Big Timber are anxiously awaiting the arrival of not one, but two young Judge Ito’s. 

            As nighttime approaches, mothers all over town are delighted with their children as they get their candy buckets ready and stand back to admire their creative works of art.  The Josephson household is another story. “Soj come here, I need to finish giving you glasses and a beard.”  “Charlie, stop running away, you need your gavel!”  These youngsters think it is all fun and games, but mothers know best and Charlie and Sojin have some serious business to take care of elsewhere.  Their mothers are trying their best to get the kids into their robes, gavels in hand, so they can make their way to the courtroom where more serious issues are awaiting them.  For instance, murder trials.

            As the O.J. Simpson case comes to a close in Los Angeles, with the original Judge Lance Ito residing over the court, two of our youngest come together to succeed the famous judge.  Charlie Lovell and Sojin Josephson, each just one year old, are taking over the duties of Judge Ito.  The fathers of both Charlie and Sojin are lawyers so they are already accustomed to the strict ways of the court.  Ironically, Charlie’s father is named Lance, just like Judge Lance Ito and Sojin is Asian, just like Judge Lance Ito.  There could not be a more perfect pair for the role. 

What happened to the simple days when kids were ghosts or witches or princesses year after year?  What kinds of mothers dress their one year old babies up like judges from a murder trial for their first Halloween?  Or in fact, actually make their babies be a part of a real trial.  Guess there is a first for everything.  Instead of receiving candy from every house dotting the town, these two will be sitting in on the remainder of the O.J. Simpson murder trial trying to keep the court from turning into mass chaos.

            After yelling “order in the court!” for so long, the babies have had enough.  After months of discussion, the jurors finally come to a conclusion.  Mr. O.J. Simpson will be acquitted.  Charlie and Sojin sigh with relief, whether or not they agree with the decisions, because they can now proceed to their first Halloween like normal children.  The cold outdoors, scary monsters, crowds of people, pumpkins, and the whole nine yards.  Their mothers finally bring them home with their loads of candy that they cannot actually eat, but they seem content after the events of the day.  The double Judge Ito’s will forever have an impact on this community and will continue to be to be the youngest judges ever to exist.  In all my years of holiday reports for this newspaper, this has been the most interesting and eventful one I have ever been a part of. 

Pioneer’s Jack Green reported from Big Timber