THE SIMPSON VERDICTS : D.A. Scorecard

The O.J. Simpson case was the latest in a string of setbacks for the L.A. County district attorney’s office. Some others:

--In 1994, separate juries deadlocked in the trials of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who admitted killing their parents inside their Beverly Hills home. The brothers said they feared their parents were about to kill them after years of abuse. The brothers are being retried.

--In 1993, three defendants were acquitted of the most serious charges in the beating of Reginald Denny during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The trucker was pulled from his rig and attacked as TV crews filmed from helicopters. A fourth defendant later was sentenced to probation.

--In 1992, four white police officers were acquitted of beating black motorist Rodney King. The verdicts sparked three days of civil unrest. Two officers later were convicted of federal civil rights violations.

--In 1990, Peggy McMartin Buckley and her son, Raymond, were cleared of charges of sexually molesting children at their Manhattan Beach pre-school. At the time, the McMartin Preschool molestation case was the nation’s longest and most expensive criminal case.

Ban TV in Court, Wilson Says

Gov. Pete Wilson on Tuesday called for an end to TV coverage of criminal trials to restore public faith in the justice system and avoid a repeat of the “circus-like atmosphere” in the O.J. Simpson trial. “We have survived the Simpson trial, but there is no reason to be forced to suffer through the theatrics of another ‘trial of the century’ in this lifetime,” Wilson said. He also said attorneys should be prohibited from asking juries for a “political message.” He plans to make recommendations to the state Judicial Council.