A total of 36 applications for the 3 positions on the Court of Appeals were received by the deadline yesterday. Applicants include attorneys from all over the state, as well as judges both currently on the bench and retired. As some of you already noted in the comments, superficially, it’s pretty easy to narrow the list down to the real contenders for each slot. What do you think about the number of applications for these three slots and the quality of applicants? Is this a good sign that if we could get the voters to accept an appointment/retention system for judges, we’d get better people on the bench? [RJ]
NBA star Blake Griffin is facing a misdemeanor battery charge in Las Vegas and has a hearing set for December 8. [Fox5Vegas]
In what is sure to be an exciting development for attorneys practicing in the criminal courts, Metro has begun using body cams. [Fox5Vegas]
Petitions were turned in to require the 2015 legislature to consider recreational marijuana. [8NewsNow]
Also turned in, were signatures for a gun background check. [KNPR News]
Nevada voters are hopelessly stupid. I am terrified of their judgment.
Guest
Lawyer Bird
November 13, 2014 5:03 pm
Abbi Silver? Horrible temperament, ceaseless (and mindless) ladder climbing, and hardly what I'd call intelligent.
Horrifying that she could be on an appellate court. Elected judges is exactly why I voted against the intermediate court. If she's appointed, I won't know what to think.
Agreed. Horrible judge. Black robe syndrome to the next level. The silver lining is that she doesn't reach the incompetence level of Israel, Doug Smith, Jessie Walsh (Deputy Diamond might be the one deciding cases), and Leavitt (seriously, is that lipstick around your mouth or your lips?). These four are the 4 Horsemen of Atrocious Judges.
Guest
Anonymous
November 13, 2014 5:23 pm
Seems like quite a few attorneys at or near the ends of their careers want to cash in on what they perceive as an easy gig with a decent salary and great pension.
Guest
Anonymous
November 13, 2014 5:47 pm
Background checks for guns?!?!?! Ex-felons and people with violent offenses should be able to buy guns without background checks "because constitution!"
The caliber of the talent pool is remarkably more experienced for this appointment than most of the challengers during the recent judicial elections. Plus this is a more civil and dignified process as compared to the carnival circus act year long campaigning, roadside clutter, and waste of millions of dollars to support judicial vanity and self-promotion …er, 'campaigns' I mean. Nice how the positions can be vetted and filled more expeditiously too, rather than taking all year.
The process is a joke. The appointments are already chosen by Sandoval's team. This is just a dog and pony show.
Guest
Anonymous
November 13, 2014 6:00 pm
frankly i'd be happy to get some of these bozos off the district court bench, and send them where I most likely wont be encountering them very often.
Guest
Anonymous
November 13, 2014 6:06 pm
Thanks to this series of dignified appointments we are spared of all in the gutter mudslinging, and the campaign managers, sign makers, endorsement groups who charge fees for their endorsements have missed out on a million bucks in lost profit opportunities! Wonderful improvement.
Agreed. This is marginally better than using the voter based selection system since we won't be subjected to people like Nick Del Vecchio and Steel, or those other hacks who ran for Supreme Court, although I lack faith in the appointment process when it is all politics.
Sandoval used to work at Jones Vargas (Reno office). Any connections to the applicants there?
Guest
Anonymous
November 13, 2014 6:44 pm
Interesting. Rather than list the applicants in the order the application was received, the site now lists them alphabetically.
It makes it seem more random if they don't pick the three judges at the top of the list.
Guest
Anonymous
November 13, 2014 7:18 pm
Top 10 Reasons To Appoint
10. Expedited results.
9. No televised carpetbagger ads.
8. No campaign checks necessary.
7. No sycophants planning judge suck up parties.
6. No trough feeders selling endorsements.
5. No roadside sign clutter.
4. No campaign managers.
3. No superficial "Like My Facebook" page requests or useless updates on who threw their latest booze fest.
2. No one getting bribed to drop out of the race.
And the Top Tenth Reason Why Appointments Trump The Campaign Circus:
1. Nary a peep out of Steve Samson or Jason Stoffel! Hooray!
Right . . . merit selection has warts too. . . just look at the old O'Brien v. Jud. Selection Comm'n Nevada S Court opinion re juicing the selection commission. Point is no system is perfect. At least elected you can get rid of the bad ones.
O'Brien v. State Bar, 114 Nev. 71, 952 P.2d 952 (1998). Thanks, what an interesting read. The Nevada State Bar Board of Governors selects the members of the Commission on Judicial Selection, who recommend the judicial candidates to the Governor for appointment. Laura Fitzsimmons wanted to be chosen for CJS. Judge Steve Jones sat on BOG and voted to appoint Fitz. Fitz and her husband and partner had just contributed 115 grand to Jones' election campaign. Current Judge Rob Bare defended Fitz's appointment. Fitz later donates to Bare's campaign for Judge. When Fitz later tried to give 200 grand to
other supreme ct. candidates in 2008 and raised the attention of the FBI, current ct. of appeals applicant Stan Hunterton defended Fitz. She gets around, she lurks. But thank God she is a Democrat and Sandoval will want no part of her influences here.
Not to mention Democrat attorney general Cortez-Masto approved awarding Laura Fitzsimmons a 1.1 million dollar attorney services contract from 2013 to 2015 with no other applicant proposals requested or considered, stating AG's office was simply too busy to do the work. (Las Vegas Sun, Ralston, Aug. 2013). I hope that the new AG Laxalt will review all juicy contracts entered into by the outgoing AG for necessity.
He is a local attorney whose hobbies include breaking off his foot in the prosecutor's ass.
Guest
Steve Sanson
November 14, 2014 2:15 am
If you are going to use my name "Anonymous" at least spell it correctly: SANSON.. Why don't you use your name instead of hiding behind "Anonymous".. Be brave don't be a coward..
LOL…Google had some interesting results. Watch out for Steve Sanson, he conceal carries, not one, but two .45 ACP pistols. Holy shit…are you trying to kill the person you're shooting and the people behind them? "Because constitution!"
why didn't bozo the Clown (Stoffel) put in his name. He could have been judging his own appellate case against him for perjury and lack of candor to the court along with his co-conspirator Wendy Kazel, but the way what happened to her booming practice and stellar reputation ?
When are you going to realize that nobody here cares about your vendetta against Stoffel and Kazel? Here's an idea, start your own blog where you can write all you want about it and leave the link here in the comments so we can check in on your incoherent rants from time to time.
Judge Earl applied? He has had 3 of his fellow judges hearing his calendar for 8 months because he can't make a decision, and has a back log he has to catch up on before he retires.
Nevada voters are hopelessly stupid. I am terrified of their judgment.
Abbi Silver? Horrible temperament, ceaseless (and mindless) ladder climbing, and hardly what I'd call intelligent.
Horrifying that she could be on an appellate court. Elected judges is exactly why I voted against the intermediate court. If she's appointed, I won't know what to think.
Agreed. Horrible judge. Black robe syndrome to the next level. The silver lining is that she doesn't reach the incompetence level of Israel, Doug Smith, Jessie Walsh (Deputy Diamond might be the one deciding cases), and Leavitt (seriously, is that lipstick around your mouth or your lips?). These four are the 4 Horsemen of Atrocious Judges.
Seems like quite a few attorneys at or near the ends of their careers want to cash in on what they perceive as an easy gig with a decent salary and great pension.
Background checks for guns?!?!?! Ex-felons and people with violent offenses should be able to buy guns without background checks "because constitution!"
"because constitution" remains one of my all time favorites!!!
That's "CONSTITUTION" dammit! 'Merica hells yeah!
The caliber of the talent pool is remarkably more experienced for this appointment than most of the challengers during the recent judicial elections. Plus this is a more civil and dignified process as compared to the carnival circus act year long campaigning, roadside clutter, and waste of millions of dollars to support judicial vanity and self-promotion …er, 'campaigns' I mean. Nice how the positions can be vetted and filled more expeditiously too, rather than taking all year.
The process is a joke. The appointments are already chosen by Sandoval's team. This is just a dog and pony show.
frankly i'd be happy to get some of these bozos off the district court bench, and send them where I most likely wont be encountering them very often.
Thanks to this series of dignified appointments we are spared of all in the gutter mudslinging, and the campaign managers, sign makers, endorsement groups who charge fees for their endorsements have missed out on a million bucks in lost profit opportunities! Wonderful improvement.
Agreed. This is marginally better than using the voter based selection system since we won't be subjected to people like Nick Del Vecchio and Steel, or those other hacks who ran for Supreme Court, although I lack faith in the appointment process when it is all politics.
Sandoval used to work at Jones Vargas (Reno office). Any connections to the applicants there?
Interesting. Rather than list the applicants in the order the application was received, the site now lists them alphabetically.
It makes it seem more random if they don't pick the three judges at the top of the list.
Top 10 Reasons To Appoint
10. Expedited results.
9. No televised carpetbagger ads.
8. No campaign checks necessary.
7. No sycophants planning judge suck up parties.
6. No trough feeders selling endorsements.
5. No roadside sign clutter.
4. No campaign managers.
3. No superficial "Like My Facebook" page requests or useless updates on who threw their latest booze fest.
2. No one getting bribed to drop out of the race.
And the Top Tenth Reason Why Appointments Trump The Campaign Circus:
1. Nary a peep out of Steve Samson or Jason Stoffel! Hooray!
No campaign checks!
Right . . . merit selection has warts too. . . just look at the old O'Brien v. Jud. Selection Comm'n Nevada S Court opinion re juicing the selection commission. Point is no system is perfect. At least elected you can get rid of the bad ones.
O'Brien v. State Bar, 114 Nev. 71, 952 P.2d 952 (1998). Thanks, what an interesting read. The Nevada State Bar Board of Governors selects the members of the Commission on Judicial Selection, who recommend the judicial candidates to the Governor for appointment. Laura Fitzsimmons wanted to be chosen for CJS. Judge Steve Jones sat on BOG and voted to appoint Fitz. Fitz and her husband and partner had just contributed 115 grand to Jones' election campaign. Current Judge Rob Bare defended Fitz's appointment. Fitz later donates to Bare's campaign for Judge. When Fitz later tried to give 200 grand to
other supreme ct. candidates in 2008 and raised the attention of the FBI, current ct. of appeals applicant Stan Hunterton defended Fitz. She gets around, she lurks. But thank God she is a Democrat and Sandoval will want no part of her influences here.
Not to mention Democrat attorney general Cortez-Masto approved awarding Laura Fitzsimmons a 1.1 million dollar attorney services contract from 2013 to 2015 with no other applicant proposals requested or considered, stating AG's office was simply too busy to do the work. (Las Vegas Sun, Ralston, Aug. 2013). I hope that the new AG Laxalt will review all juicy contracts entered into by the outgoing AG for necessity.
Noting further the gobs of money Fitzsimmons has given over the years to Dave Thomas's wife Allf and his candidates.
No Dave Thomas people for sure
J-Mac is being disciplined again.
From an old incident.
I wonder why he didn't run for judge again…cuz he puts his foot up people's asses.
Who is J Mac?
He is a local attorney whose hobbies include breaking off his foot in the prosecutor's ass.
If you are going to use my name "Anonymous" at least spell it correctly: SANSON.. Why don't you use your name instead of hiding behind "Anonymous".. Be brave don't be a coward..
Who is Steven Sanson? I don't even think he merits a Google search.
LOL…Google had some interesting results. Watch out for Steve Sanson, he conceal carries, not one, but two .45 ACP pistols. Holy shit…are you trying to kill the person you're shooting and the people behind them? "Because constitution!"
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/candidate-arrested-gun-counts
why didn't bozo the Clown (Stoffel) put in his name. He could have been judging his own appellate case against him for perjury and lack of candor to the court along with his co-conspirator Wendy Kazel, but the way what happened to her booming practice and stellar reputation ?
When are you going to realize that nobody here cares about your vendetta against Stoffel and Kazel? Here's an idea, start your own blog where you can write all you want about it and leave the link here in the comments so we can check in on your incoherent rants from time to time.
Haha. Or maybe a different category for all the vendetta threads.
Good idea Bozo the Clown
I care but then again maybe I am ethical
Judge Earl applied? He has had 3 of his fellow judges hearing his calendar for 8 months because he can't make a decision, and has a back log he has to catch up on before he retires.