Las Vegas Criminal Defense Blog

The Nevada Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on August 3rd to determine whether to grant O.J. Simpson’s request for bail release pending his appeal. In 2008, Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping in Las Vegas.

This will be the first time in eight years that the Nevada Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for bail pending appeal. This could be due, in part, to Simpson’s celebrity, but it also suggests that he has potentially meritorious issues.

Simpson attorney Yale Galanter, who also defended him in his assault and kidnapping in Las Vegas case, admits he has a high burden to meet in order to prevail at this hearing, but he’s insistent that Simpson will not be a flight risk: "He's got no place to go, no place to hide. News crews follow him to the restaurant, to the golf course, to school to pick up his kids. He's truly one of the most recognizable people on the planet."

O.J. Simpson, who’s currently serving out his prison sentence for kidnapping, robbery and assault, has recently asked the Nevada Supreme Court to grant him release on bail while he seeks an appeal. On August 3rd, a three-justice panel in Las Vegas will preside over a bail hearing to hear Simpson’s arguments.

A bail hearing is where the defendant goes before the court to ask for an O.R. release (own recognizance) or a reduction in their bail amount. In determining whether to grant release, the judges then consider whether the defendant either:

1. poses a flight risk, and/or


2. presents a danger to the community or himself.

Predictably, defendants are more likely to be granted Las Vegas bail release if they have no history of violent behavior, no other criminal record, and sturdy community ties in Nevada. (Las Vegas bail rules usually permit for the bail money to be ultimately returned to the defendant, even after a guilty verdict.)

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