Former Nevada judge Jackie Glass, who sentenced OJ Simpson to prison and hosted Swift Justice, died Friday afternoon in Las Vegas aged 70.
Glass died in Las Vegas, according to news outlet TMZ. Her cause of death has not been disclosed.
Glass sentenced former American football star OJ Simpson to up to 33 years in prison in 2008 after he was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping. The conviction stemmed from a 2007 confrontation inside a Las Vegas hotel room.
She also gained national attention when she succeeded television host Nancy Grace on the syndicated court show Swift Justice, hosting the program from 2011 to 2012 during its final season. Grace left the show because production relocated from Atlanta to Los Angeles, which would have separated her from her young children. Glass hosted the second season before the show was pulled off the air in April 2012.
Tributes from family and state leaders
Glass is survived by her husband, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, and two daughters: municipal court judge Rebecca Wolfson and stuntwoman Rachel Wolfson.
Her daughter Rachel Wolfson shared news of her death on social media on Friday night. "Rip my rock, I don't know how I'll do this life without you," she wrote. "I love you so much mommy, I'll see you again someday."
Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley wrote on X that she was "heartbroken" by the news and felt as though she had "lost a sister." Berkley said: "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."
Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto said she was "shocked and saddened" by the news. "Judge Glass was an inspiring role model who spent her life fighting for justice for others," Cortez Masto posted on X. "Her light extinguished too soon."
Former Clark County District Attorney David Roger said he and his family were "very sad" about her passing. "She was a respected jurist," Roger told News3. "But more importantly, she was a warm and friendly person."
Legal career and district court bench
Before entering the legal profession, Glass worked as a journalist and radio reporter in Las Vegas during the early 1980s. Former colleague Steve Herman remembered her as "empathetic and funny."
Glass graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1984. She worked as an associate and attorney at various firms from 1985 to 1990 before founding the firm Wolfson & Glass with her husband. Her practice focused on personal injury and criminal defense.
In 2002, Glass was elected to Nevada's Eighth Judicial District Court, taking her seat on the bench in 2003. That same year, she helped establish the Clark County Mental Health Court to improve how the local criminal justice system handles individuals living with mental illness.
High-profile Simpson trial and courtroom style
Glass received her highest-profile assignment in 2008 when she presided over Simpson's criminal proceedings following the 2007 hotel room confrontation.
During Simpson's sentencing hearing, Glass memorably rejected an apology offered by the former football star. "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," Glass told him, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. "And during the trial and through this proceeding, I got this answer, and it was both."
Glass retired from her Clark County judge role in May 2011 after eight years on the bench to take over hosting duties on Swift Justice. During her final year on the bench, she presided over the district's drug and alcohol treatment courts. Ahead of her departure, she told drug court participants, according to the Las Vegas Sun: "I really do care whether you succeed or not. All I want you to do is get clean and sober and stay out of the criminal justice system."
Later work in mediation services
Following her television work, Glass served as a private judge with the Las Vegas mediation service Private Trials. She most recently worked as a mediator for Advanced Resolution Management, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Glass's family for comment.
