Whitney: Aloha, Johnnie

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/17/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Handlers for Whitney Houston, currently facing a drug charge in Hawaii, approached Los Angeles defense attorney Johnnie Cochran to help represent the pop diva in her case, reports USA Today. And Cochran refused, says the paper. Houston, currently represented by Hawaii attorney Brook Hart, could face 30 days in a Hawaiian jail and a $1,000 fine for allegedly possessing half an ounce of marijuana, discovered on Jan. 11 by the Keahole-Kona International Airport security staff, police said. Houston has until Oct. 26 to turn herself in to authorities for an arraignment and plea hearing. If she doesn't show, prosecutors claim, they will seek the judge's permission to take out a warrant for her arrest. As for Cochran's passing on the case, including his acting as a consultant, O.J. Simpson's former defense lawyer is not certified to practice in Hawaii, his spokeswoman told USA Today. In addition she said, Cochran turned 63 on Monday and wishes to turn away from criminal law.