ITO'S UNWILLING TO JUDGE HIS STATUS AS ROLE MODEL

Lance Ito a role model? Some think so, but don't ask the judge, he's a man of few words these days.

Ito was praised during the annual conference of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association in Boston, where the judge kept to himself after a panel discussion on racial and ethnic bias in the courtroom."There are so few strong Asian-American role models in the public eye these days that when someone like Judge Ito comes along, it's really exciting for us to see," Paul Chan, the organization's president-elect, said Thursday.

Asked whether he views himself as a role model, the judge, who is of Japanese descent, declined comment.

The most he would say? "I'm happy to be here."

Ito presided over the O.J. Simpson trial.