The network that burst into public consciousness with the O.J. Simpson trial and other big-name courtroom dramas in the 1990s becomes part of television history Tuesday, renamed truTV to emphasize its prime-time action programming.

Besides the name, there won't be many immediate changes to what Court TV has become. The six remaining hours of legal-oriented material during the day will remain, labeled ''In Session.''

The Tuesday premiere of ''Ocean Force Huntington Beach O.C.'' typifies the network's direction. The series follows lifeguards on a busy California beach, emphasizing heart-pounding rescues rather than hours spent ogling hot bodies.

That's about as far from swearing in a witness as you can get, but Court TV's viewers are used to the disconnect.

Court TV prime-time has emphasized non-fiction series like the long-running ''Forensic Files'' and newer shows like ''The Real Hustle,'' which interviews pickpockets about tricks of the trade; the upcoming ''Black Gold,'' about oil prospectors; and ''Speeders,'' which shows tapes of people trying to talk their way out of speeding tickets.

That's part of an intensely competitive television world; ''Black Gold'' taps into the same fascination with grueling jobs as ''Deadliest Catch'' on Discovery and ''Ice Road Truckers'' on The History Channel, for example.

Now the network takes the risk of shedding an established brand for the unknown.

''It's a big concern,'' conceded Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, which includes the soon-to-become truTV. ''Court TV is a very well-defined programming entity. Unfortunately, it's not as broad and doesn't offer the growth opportunities, we believe, as starting anew.''

Koonin oversaw the successful brandings of TNT and TBS. Those networks established clear identities -- TNT is for drama, TBS does comedy -- while keeping names that are essentially meaningless.

TruTV's identity will be fast-moving programming that tells real stories about real people. There's such a glut of reality programming with a wide range of styles that truTV is making an explicit point of rejecting the term.

TruTV isn't reality, its new slogan states. It's actuality.

''Reality has a connotation of not being real, of being phony,'' said Marc Juris, executive vice president and general manager of truTV. ''We felt that because [our programming] was real, we couldn't call it reality.''

Politically connected Denver law and lobbying firm Isaacson Rosenbaum has been chosen as outside counsel for the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) as it prepares for next summer's event here.

The firm and one of its top attorneys -- Mark Grueskin, a Democrat and onetime legal counsel and legislative aide to former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm -- will help the committee navigate federal election rules and local laws, working with the DNCC's on-staff general counsel, Susana Carbajal.

"We're kind of a legal defensive secondary," Grueskin said. "We'll watch and see how things develop, and we'll help tackle whatever legal issues require more staffing or a different kind of expertise."

He said Isaacson Rosenbaum has identified 10 areas where the DNCC may need its help before and during the Aug. 25-28 convention, from contract negotiation and employment law to campaign finance rules "and just plain political advice."

One of the firm's key roles will be to help the DNCC comply with Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules covering convention operations, Carbajal said. "Because we receive federal funds, we do have to spend those funds according to the FEC and their regulations," she said.

It's customary for a party to hire a local law firm in the convention host city to help with on-site legal work. The assignment is considered a plum for the chosen firm -- and a sign of close ties between the firm and the party.

"We're awfully proud [to be chosen]," Grueskin said. "It's gratifying that ... they hired us because there are so many different kinds of things that our law firm can do that they might need."

Carbajal -- an attorney for the Austin, Texas, firm of Brown McCarroll and a former aide to President Bill Clinton -- was named DNCC general counsel in April. She said she recommended Isaacson Rosenbaum to her committee after interviewing several local attorneys and firms.

She said she wanted a firm with solid experience in election-finance and public-policy law as well as with good relations with local leaders, and Isaacson Rosenbaum offered both strengths.

"One of the main reasons we chose [the firm] is because of Mark Grueskin. ... He was a driving force in our selection," she said.

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"I would ask her why she just couldn't wait a few more minutes. It wouldn't have cost her anything to do this," 43-year-old Marsha Richard said.

Keller declined to comment on the federal lawsuit, which also named "John Does" as defendants acting in their official capacities.

Michael Richard's laywers later unsuccessfully appealed his case to the U.S. Supreme Court on grounds that the lethal injection was unconstitutionally cruel punishment. The high court turned down the appeal because the lower court had not heard his case, said Randall Kallinen, Marsha Richard's attorney.

"Everybody is in agreement the appeal would have been successful if it had been allowed to be filed," he said.

Before it turned down the appeal, the Supreme Court had decided to review the constitutionality of lethal injection in a Kentucky case. Richard so far has been the only person executed in the nation since the Supreme Court made its announcement about the Kentucky case.

Keller is accused of violating an "open courts" provision of the Texas Constitution, causing Michael Richard's wrongful death and violating his Fourth Amendment right to protection against unlawful searches and seizures.

The lawsuit is asking for an unspecified amount of punitive damages and seeks a court order to be issued directing Keller, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' clerk and other court personnel not to stop emergency death penalty appeals from being filed.

The 11th Amendment gives states immunity from federal lawsuits. But Kallinen said Keller is not immune to a lawsuit because her actions violated established statutory or constitutional rights.

Michael Richard, 49, was executed for the 1986 murder of Marguerite Lucille Dixon. Evidence showed she was raped and fatally shot in her home by Richard, who then stole two televisions and a van from the house outside Houston. Richard insisted he wasn't responsible for the woman's death.

Last month, a group of lawyers filed a complaint against Keller with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, accusing her of improperly cutting off appeals that led to Richard's execution. On Tuesday, the criminal appeals court decided to allow emergency e-mail appeals in death penalty cases.

"I hope nothing like this happens to anyone else," said Marsha Richard, who married her husband five years ago after meeting him while she visited her brother, who was also on death row.

Meanwhile, in Florida, the state's highest court denied a stay of execution for Mark Dean Schwab, who was convicted of raping and murdering an 11-year-old 16 years ago. He is scheduled for execution Nov. 15.