Government Hauls Ira Isaacs Back Into Court for a Third Trial

LOS ANGELES—It was almost five years ago, on July 24, 2007, that the original government indictment against Ira Isaacs was filed in a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. After two failed attempts to nail him for obscenity in the intervening years, the Justice Department is going for a third swing at the Ira Isaacs ball. On Monday, the parties will gather at 8:30 a.m. in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom for jury selection. Following Judge George H. King's dismissal of the jury this March in Trial Two after three days of testimony that resulted in a deadlocked jury, it's hard to see why the government thinks a different collection of "peers" will come to a different conclusion (that is also favorable to the government.) Of course, after several embarrassing misfires in its seemingly desperate attempt to win an obscenity case that also sends a loud message, no one would be surprised to learn that the DoJ is willing to expend resources that could be better used elsewhere in order to try Isaacs again because it cannot face the yawning maw of failure that would come with giving up and going home. AVN Senior Editor Mark Kernes, who covered the last trial, will be at this one, too. Photo: Ira Isaacs flanked by attorney Roger Diamond.