- Quickdraw McLaw
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The topic is simple: who would you rank as the top 3 current judges in the 8th Judicial District Civil/Criminal Division and why? You can learn more information about the each of the judges at the Clark County Courts website or by clicking on their name below (including their policies on telephonic appearances; unopposed motions; default judgment prove-ups; submission of orders; and jury selection ed. This is a great resource if you haven’t seen it yet). Your choices are:
Civil/Criminal Divison Judges
| I | Kenneth C. Cory | XVII | Michael Villani |
| II | Valorie J. Vega | XVIII | David Barker |
| III | Douglas W. Herndon | XIX | Allan R. Earl |
| IV | Kerry Earley | XX | Jerome T. Tao |
| V | Carolyn Ellsworth | XXI | Valerie Adair |
| VI | Elissa Cadish | XXII | Susan Johnson |
| VII | Linda Marie Bell | XXIII | Stefany A. Miley |
| VIII | Douglas E. Smith | XXIV | James Bixler |
| IX | Jennifer Togliatti | XXV | Kathleen Delaney |
| X | Jessie Walsh | XXVI | Gloria J. Sturman |
| XI | Elizabeth Gonzalez | XXVII | Nancy L. Allf |
| XII | Michelle Leavitt | XXVIII | Ronald J. Israel |
| XIII | Mark R. Denton | XXIX | Susan W. Scann |
| XIV | Adriana Escobar | XXX | Jerry A. Wiese |
| XV | Abbi Silver | XXXI | Joanna S. Kishner |
| XVI | Timothy Williams | XXXII | Rob Bare |
Top 3 (in no particular order)
Gonzalez
Williams
Bare
All are courteous, thoughtful and smart.
Bottom 3? Glad you asked…
Miley
Johnson
Leavitt
Top 4
Cadish
Gonzales
Barker
Bare
Bottom 3
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh
That is a scary list! Of the 32 trial-court judges on the list, only a handful, if that, were ever really strong courtroom lawyers. Several were never even minimally competent in law practice. To see those names on a list in one place is depressing when I think of the responsibility these judges have. Clark County certainly is not putting its best and brightest lawyers on the bench.
That said:
Betsy Gonzalez is a competent judge.
So is Jennifer Togliotti.
Jerome Tao and Kerry both show some promise.
Doug Herndon is solid.
Stefany Miley is a punchline – the poster child for judicial appointments.
Ken Cory is weak and confused.
Jesse Walsh is in over her head and absolutely owned by the attorneys who put her in power.
Ron Israel has no business being on the bench – he is intellectually and temperamentally unqualified.
Valorie Vega, after all these years, still hasn't figured it out.
That's enough.
I hope there is another push for appointments with retention elections.
In the alternative, up the qualifications. 20 years of practice and lead counsel in at least 25 trials.
Unlike other communities, for the most part the judges here do not take the job to "give back" to the community by sharing their wisdom, but are looking for a meal ticket to avoid the work of private practice — or worse, bask in the glory of being a judge, and go to all the parties they didn't get invited to before they took the bench.
Top 3:
Gonzalez
Cadish
Villani
9:52 makes some excellent suggestions. But here's the problem: with the qualification that a judge have "20 years of practice and lead counsel in at least 25 trials", all judges would be either former DAs, PDs, or low-level criminal defense attorneys. No private practice civil attorney or big-time criminal attorney with those credentials would be able to take the six-figure pay cut which would be necessary. If you're a civil attorney or big-time criminal attorney with those credentials, you're making serious dollars.
And BTW – bravo 9:39!
Bare's a goofball–nice guy, polite to litigants but poor analytical skills
Barker
Denton
Bell
Top judges? I would say Denton, Earl and then either Barker or Herndon.
Mark Denton is too indecisive to be considered a top judge. He's smart and a really nice guy; but his inability to make tough decisions puts him in the middle of the pack. He is a decent settlement judge.
Constable Bonaventura arrested for a DUI. What a DOUCHE!!!
re. 10:31 AM:
AHHHH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
10:31,
It gets worse: he was arrested for DUI in an agency vehicle. An employee had to pick it up.
Judge Jones currently lists on his FB Page "Worked at Eighth Judicial District Court". Past tense eh Judge?
Jones was suspended without pay for 3 months. Slap on the wrist…
http://judicial.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/judicialnvgov/content/Discipline/Dicisions/2014-02-03_Findings_Jones.pdf
Cadish
Barker
Villani
the up and comers showing the most potential are Ellsworth with her tentative rulings and Tao who is just doing a good job.
What's going on with Judge Jones anyway? It's been way too quiet since, they closed in on him!!
He was suspended without pay for 3 months. That's it. Slap on the wrist….
http://judicial.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/judicialnvgov/content/Discipline/Dicisions/2014-02-03_Findings_Jones.pdf
Incorrect.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/ex-judge-steven-jones-faces-lifetime-ban-bench
No judge should ever be appointed, period!! Of course, there's some on the inside that would rather see that happen instead, of having to campaign for the position. It's been proven to be a complete disaster that's created more distrust and corruption within our judicial system!
From years gone by, not only has it reared its ugly head with the cloak of immunity, but some judges seem to enjoy "strutting their stuff" more so, knowing, they're untouchable especially, upon being appointed! Being appointed seems to go to their head by giving them the idea that they are no longer "public servants" and they don't have to answer to the public because, the public weren't the ones putting them on the bench!!
However, I do agree that anyone wanting to run should have "hands on" court room experience with being a trial attorney for a minimum of three years before even thinking about running for the bench. This nonsense of putting someone incompetent or corrupt "over the people's life's, before them", that has no rhyme or reason to be there, needs to stop!!
We need "real men and women" who are not afraid to make decisions with the rules and the laws in place!!
This is a great editorial that highlights the importance of judging judge candidates as well as the Judges themselves. The criticisms of Robert Pool and his poor legal abilities are spot on: http://m.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorial-voters-beware-revengers
Judge Barker is one of the best. Wish we had more like him on the bench.
Rob Israel:
Campaign ethics violation
Shortly before the election, the Nevada Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics and Election Practices publicly censured Israel for publishing and distributing a one-page flyer entitled "Democratic Judicial Candidates for District Court," which identified Israel and six candidates in other races as Democrats. This was in response to opponent Howard's charge that Israel was running a partisan campaign in a nonpartisan election. According to the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct, judicial candidates "shall not engage in political or campaign activity that is inconsistent with the independence, integritf2fy or impartiality of the judiciary."[4]
*Ron Israel
http://judgepedia.org/Ron_Israel
All power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."… Lord Acton. Lawyers are clearly the most despised group of individuals in this country, from this group judges are either appointed or voted in. The real problem is that the legal system in this country is corrupt and that goes triple for Clark County Nevada. The fact of the matter is that judges can simply do as they please with impunity and immunity and this extends to the Supreme Court of Nevada. They make up their own rules and ignore statutes when it pleases them. The government is controlled by special interest groups. (big business) Without exception, the rulings that are handed down dovetail with this corrupt system. The system of checks and balances is a farce! Legislative and executive agencies populated with corrupt individuals are more than happy to look the other way and perpetuate this corruption. This corruption is exemplified in the covert manner that judicial reviews, summary judgments etc. are handed down. Blackjack dealer's in the Nevada casinos deal cards and theoretically have no control over the outcome. Individuals that are seeking justice in these courtrooms should expect the same equity and impartiality that they would receive at a blackjack table. Such is not the case! The unbridled power that judges and justices wield must be substantially diminished. We are now in the 15th year of a new millennium. It is time for change. The logistics and the technology exists for change. The jury system must be expanded tenfold, whereby the working-class can expect fair play and justice on a level field. Judicial reviews, summary judgments etc. must be eliminated! An individual seeking justice must walk away, win or lose, with a sense that justice was served! The legal system in Clark County Nevada is corrupt, end of story. This corruption includes the office of the Atty. Gen. and the State Bar of Nevada. The "commission on judicial discipline" receives hundreds of complaints every year. The likelihood of a corrupt judge being removed are 0%. Check it out. Hundreds of cases are also appealed every year. Check it out. But this corruption in and out of the court rooms continues, business as usual. I have personally experienced this corruption first-hand by Judges Joanna S Kishner, Jennifer P Togliatti, Kerry Earley, Michael P Villani and five Supreme Court Justices. I have the documentation and the exhibits to back up this statement….and the beat goes on.
Pretty libelous stuff you just posted. Better back it up.
For "Anonymous – Pretty libelous stuff you just posted. Better back it up." First of all I would like to thank you for your reply. Secondly I would like to advise you to Google "State Integrity Report Card," then left click "Nevada." You will notice that the State of Nevada received a grade of D- regarding corruption in government. This is the result of a private investigation by "State Integrity Investigation" at a cost of $1,500,000. The ranking among all 50 states regarding corruption in government, Nevada is eighth from the bottom. I formerly resided in California for many years. Regarding corruption in state government California received a grade of B- and is ranked fourth from the top. State government at all levels in the State of Nevada reeks of corruption! When you include the predatory nature of individuals and businesses in the private sector that is rampant, I submit that the State of Nevada is by far the most corrupt state in the union! I was a combat leader in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. In 1967 I personally went to the Judge Adjutant General's Office at MACV headquarters and submitted oral complaints regarding atrocities and misrepresentations committed by the U.S. Army. To say I almost died 1000 times in Vietnam would not be enough. I'm still here.
I personally read the bios that of been posted for the judges and justices. I am not impressed. A lot of meaningless awards and self exaltations, nothing that I would describe as "honorable." I have recently filed an application for a copyright with the Feds to cover the first 800 pages of my website. In my website are photographs of these judges and I describe each of them as "corrupt." The fact of the matter is that as I stated "I have the absolute truth on my side backed up with documentation and exhibits!" Bottom line – being a judge is not rocket science. A civil service test should be devised and made available to the general public. After a background check, those individuals with the highest scores are hired on a rotational basis. Meaning these judicial officers would hold other civil service positions on a rotational basis. In the process of eliminating all forms of corruption in the judiciary, the jury system would need to be expanded dramatically. If a resident of the State of Nevada desires to have all matters heard and decided by a jury of his peers that should be sacrosanct. Alternative dispute, judicial reviews, summary judgments etc. needs to be tossed. Court rooms are utilized for approximately 40 hours per week this needs to be changed to 96 hours per week. Another rotational jury system titled, "Citizens Review Board" should be formed with the express purpose of weeding out corrupt government officials at all levels. Once again, regarding corruption in government the State of Nevada reeks of corruption and unless drastic measures are swiftly taken the alternative is a nonresponsive state government with a lack of accountability that will go from very bad to even worse.
Top – Herndon, Gonzalez, Denton
Bottom – Kishner, Miley, Walsh, Bare
Update – the grade received by the state of Nevada regarding corruption in state government, by the "state integrity investigation" has now dropped to "F". In a subheading "judicial accountability", has also received the failing grade of "F". The fact of the matter is that the judicial system in the state of Nevada is a sewer!