Clark County election results continue to roll in and now Crystal Eller has pulled ahead of Bill Kephart.
The Trump campaign dropped one Nevada lawsuit after reaching an agreement to add more observers. [8NewsNow]
Meanwhile, another suit backed by the campaign seeks to challenge Clark County’s automated signature verification system. [TNI]
Sun Editorial: Former AG Laxalt doing his best to disenfranchise Nevada voters. [Las Vegas Sun]
The Supreme Court of Nevada will be doing virtual swearing-in ceremonies. [NVcourts]
In the weekly bar email yesterday, the State Bar of Nevada included a survey link to get your input about next year’s Annual Meeting they would like to hold in San Diego. Be sure to weigh in and let them know how you feel.
Okay all you newly elected ladies, including Kamala Harris since senile Joe is fading fast, the power of decision rests in your hands…no more old-white-guy excuses for wallowing in misery. Good luck.
Only problem there is that the US Senate is still controlled by one crotchety old white man. Unless that changes with the Georgia runoff, all the other branches of government will still be limited.
We will keep the Senate… and the first thing we will do is build a wall around Connecticut, NYC and CA, and forcibly move all of you snot nosed socialist to one of the compounded areas. Good luck.
Nobody on the ballot deserves to lose more than William "Bill" Kephart. I hope that lead holds up!
Guest
Anonymous
November 6, 2020 6:32 pm
Kephart attitude, and the system that has coddled, protected, and fostered him are evil.
Guest
Anonymous
November 6, 2020 7:04 pm
25 of the 32 RJC judges will now be female. And it would have been virtually a clean sweep except that of those 7 surviving male candidates, most were incumbent judges who had no opposition.
I'm not complaining about this dynamic, but am only commenting that inequities(making it difficult for women to get elected) were cured a long time ago.
When I stared practicing there were only 16 District Court seats and only 1 was a female(Judge,and future NSC Justice, Miriam Shearing).
But a few years back it hit a point where precisely half the seats were male and half were female. Seems like a pretty fair balance as it proportionately reflects the population, as well as the legal profession wherein roughly half the attorneys are now female).
But 25 out of 32, as it stands now, may indicate an over-correction of past inequities, at least to the extent that many voters now cast their ballot primarily on gender rather than legal skill and experience, or other factors.
But that all said, historically speaking, when inequities are corrected, the pendulum usually does not swing merely to the middle, but swings somewhat dramatically in favor of the people who were formerly disadvantaged. So, looking at it that way, it seems fair that old white dudes like me, and millions of others, need to appreciate that the pendulum must swing hard in a pro-female direction, until it finally settles and swings more in the middle, which may take some time.
Perhaps if we me want the pendulum to start swinging more to the middle we need to show far greater intolerance for those in the work place who make sexual overtures toward woman, and condescending remarks that are gender-based, etc.
That all said, this pro-female advantage was never so profound as it was this time. Consider the case where a female candidate won a judgeship by spending nothing beyond the filing fee.
This pro-female advantage also benefitted us as a profession to a large extent as it resulted in the voters dumping no fewer than two male judges who are utterly unacceptable, in my view.
I appreciate the fair mindedness of your comment, and I agree that one route toward better outcomes for everyone would be to stand up to those who engage in harassment/inappropriate behavior directed at women (and all people) in the workplace. I think that's a necessary step that would go a long way.
However, I'm interested in your position that inequities were "cured a long time ago."
As you said, women are still faced with sexual overtures at work, condescending gender-based remarks in the office, etc. The pay gap remains. Women are leaving the job market in record numbers due to Covid and child care issues. Maybe some of the inequities have been partially addressed, but I don't think they've been cured.
12:31–11:04 here. My remarks about inequities being adequately addressed was limited to the very narrow issue of women, in the past, being poorly represented on the judicial bench. That is what I think has been more than adequately rectified as the current bench is not merely half female, but is like three quarters or more female. I should have been clearer about that.
That said, more basic problems still remain, like the unbelievable pay inequity between male and females. People tend to assume the Equal Rights Amendment was passed way back in the 70's, but it never was.
A lot of legal matters that we have assumed have been resolved in favor of women, never in fact were. And certain troubling male behavior, as to presumptions, as well as their interaction with women socially and professionally, still remains far too rampant.
So, progress has been made since the 60's in some areas affecting women's rights and equal treatment, while progress in other area is still stalled.
The problem is that gender is now a surrogate for competence. We are losing many experienced judges who were experienced litigators. In its place we are getting inexperienced, and in some cases unethical attorneys, because they are female. Some of the candidates absolutely deserve it (e.g., Bita Yeager & all incumbents). Others are clearly not qualified. The system is broken.
I'm a guy, but I still look forward to the day when a woman will truly be judged because she is just as good (or just as bad) as a man — instead of twice as good (or half as bad). I hope we took a step closer to that with this election. Make us all proud, ladies.
Guest
Anonymous
November 6, 2020 7:08 pm
I am weighing in as to the Bar's Annual Convention — I don't give a shit, and I wouldn't go even if it were held here in Vegas.
Guest
Anonymous
November 6, 2020 7:11 pm
11:04–my view is that the unfairness needed to be corrected, and it was once half the bench is female.
But now that 25 out of 32 on District Court are female, and like 12 or 13 out of 15 in Justice Court, no one can really validly complain about it somehow being an uphill battle for women to be elected to a judgeship.
It was an uphill battle a few decades back. But it no longer is. In fact, now it is a real advantage to be female, if running against a male.
Like 11:04, I'm not knocking that or complaining about it. I'm just saying it is what it is, and that although a lot of unfair obstacles still reamin for females in many other areas, running for a local judgeship is not one of those unfair obstacles. Again, it(being female) is in fact an advantage in these races.
Guest
Anonymous
November 6, 2020 7:26 pm
The real problem is that the judges are elected. Unlike other races, nobody knows anything about the candidates so the voters are defaulting to women. I really don't think the public is trying to correct the prior disadvantages. I just think the public trusts women more when they don't know anything else.
Guest
Anonymous
November 6, 2020 7:38 pm
The results of the judicial races is a travesty, an absolute joke. Wow, I feel sorry for any of you who have complex litigation coming up any time soon. And no, I am not a candidate, nor am I related to a candidate, and I am a women.
Guest
Anonymous
November 6, 2020 7:42 pm
How did no one challenge Escobar's seat? Wow.
Guest
Anonymous
November 6, 2020 7:59 pm
Trevor Atkin is now behind! WTF?
Guest
Anonymous
November 6, 2020 8:04 pm
Maybe people are picking women because they realize the marginally-talented Mormon men who run this town should be shown the door.
Vegas is a place where it makes sense to be in the public sector. In DC or California, private sector jobs pay way more, and cost of living makes public sector salary tough to swallow. In Vegas, a prosecutor/PD/judge position gives you sweet work life balance, solid pay, and not much down side.
There are REALLY talented smart women attorneys. Other than Tara, I cannot find any of the newly elected winners who fall into that category. We just elected 6 years of Hell and peremptory challenges.
Perhaps 12:51 meant to say that the ability of 68% of female attorneys falls within 1 standard deviation from the average.
Guest
Anonymous
November 7, 2020 2:48 am
Wild Bill is now down by 2,000 to Crystal Eller.
I love it!
Guest
Anonymous
November 7, 2020 4:00 am
I'm beyond disgusted that one's gender has any bearing on the qualification if that person. I can't believe there exists women attorneys so brainwashed into believing they're oppressed by any means. Grow up!!!! Put on your big girl pants and act like a real woman, not some sniffling baby needing coddling and affirmation. Signed, a female attorney embarrassed by current feminism.
Guest
Anonymous
November 7, 2020 6:47 pm
So the Little Pencil-Neck is trying to disenfranchise NV voters, eh?
We'll remember . . .
Guest
Anonymous
November 9, 2020 5:39 pm
8:00–Good points, but there is at least one benefit we have realized from the fact many voters blindly vote for females in judicial races–a certain male incumbent has been eliminated who most attorneys appear to agree needed to be shown the door.
Okay all you newly elected ladies, including Kamala Harris since senile Joe is fading fast, the power of decision rests in your hands…no more old-white-guy excuses for wallowing in misery. Good luck.
Only problem there is that the US Senate is still controlled by one crotchety old white man. Unless that changes with the Georgia runoff, all the other branches of government will still be limited.
We will keep the Senate… and the first thing we will do is build a wall around Connecticut, NYC and CA, and forcibly move all of you snot nosed socialist to one of the compounded areas. Good luck.
Escape From New York was WAY better than its sequel, but honestly I was just happy to see Kurt Russell back in action.
12:48 — Classy.
Nobody on the ballot deserves to lose more than William "Bill" Kephart. I hope that lead holds up!
Kephart attitude, and the system that has coddled, protected, and fostered him are evil.
25 of the 32 RJC judges will now be female. And it would have been virtually a clean sweep except that of those 7 surviving male candidates, most were incumbent judges who had no opposition.
I'm not complaining about this dynamic, but am only commenting that inequities(making it difficult for women to get elected) were cured a long time ago.
When I stared practicing there were only 16 District Court seats and only 1 was a female(Judge,and future NSC Justice, Miriam Shearing).
But a few years back it hit a point where precisely half the seats were male and half were female. Seems like a pretty fair balance as it proportionately reflects the population, as well as the legal profession wherein roughly half the attorneys are now female).
But 25 out of 32, as it stands now, may indicate an over-correction of past inequities, at least to the extent that many voters now cast their ballot primarily on gender rather than legal skill and experience, or other factors.
But that all said, historically speaking, when inequities are corrected, the pendulum usually does not swing merely to the middle, but swings somewhat dramatically in favor of the people who were formerly disadvantaged. So, looking at it that way, it seems fair that old white dudes like me, and millions of others, need to appreciate that the pendulum must swing hard in a pro-female direction, until it finally settles and swings more in the middle, which may take some time.
Perhaps if we me want the pendulum to start swinging more to the middle we need to show far greater intolerance for those in the work place who make sexual overtures toward woman, and condescending remarks that are gender-based, etc.
That all said, this pro-female advantage was never so profound as it was this time. Consider the case where a female candidate won a judgeship by spending nothing beyond the filing fee.
This pro-female advantage also benefitted us as a profession to a large extent as it resulted in the voters dumping no fewer than two male judges who are utterly unacceptable, in my view.
I think it is only 24 of 32. There are 8 male judges: Jones, Villani, Weise, Israel, Hardy, Johnson, Williams, Denton
I appreciate the fair mindedness of your comment, and I agree that one route toward better outcomes for everyone would be to stand up to those who engage in harassment/inappropriate behavior directed at women (and all people) in the workplace. I think that's a necessary step that would go a long way.
However, I'm interested in your position that inequities were "cured a long time ago."
As you said, women are still faced with sexual overtures at work, condescending gender-based remarks in the office, etc. The pay gap remains. Women are leaving the job market in record numbers due to Covid and child care issues. Maybe some of the inequities have been partially addressed, but I don't think they've been cured.
12:31–11:04 here. My remarks about inequities being adequately addressed was limited to the very narrow issue of women, in the past, being poorly represented on the judicial bench. That is what I think has been more than adequately rectified as the current bench is not merely half female, but is like three quarters or more female. I should have been clearer about that.
That said, more basic problems still remain, like the unbelievable pay inequity between male and females. People tend to assume the Equal Rights Amendment was passed way back in the 70's, but it never was.
A lot of legal matters that we have assumed have been resolved in favor of women, never in fact were. And certain troubling male behavior, as to presumptions, as well as their interaction with women socially and professionally, still remains far too rampant.
So, progress has been made since the 60's in some areas affecting women's rights and equal treatment, while progress in other area is still stalled.
The problem is that gender is now a surrogate for competence. We are losing many experienced judges who were experienced litigators. In its place we are getting inexperienced, and in some cases unethical attorneys, because they are female. Some of the candidates absolutely deserve it (e.g., Bita Yeager & all incumbents). Others are clearly not qualified. The system is broken.
Come on. Are men this weak? It is really tough being a white male lawyer. Yawn! Vote for Ross Miller.
I'm a guy, but I still look forward to the day when a woman will truly be judged because she is just as good (or just as bad) as a man — instead of twice as good (or half as bad). I hope we took a step closer to that with this election. Make us all proud, ladies.
I am weighing in as to the Bar's Annual Convention — I don't give a shit, and I wouldn't go even if it were held here in Vegas.
11:04–my view is that the unfairness needed to be corrected, and it was once half the bench is female.
But now that 25 out of 32 on District Court are female, and like 12 or 13 out of 15 in Justice Court, no one can really validly complain about it somehow being an uphill battle for women to be elected to a judgeship.
It was an uphill battle a few decades back. But it no longer is. In fact, now it is a real advantage to be female, if running against a male.
Like 11:04, I'm not knocking that or complaining about it. I'm just saying it is what it is, and that although a lot of unfair obstacles still reamin for females in many other areas, running for a local judgeship is not one of those unfair obstacles. Again, it(being female) is in fact an advantage in these races.
The real problem is that the judges are elected. Unlike other races, nobody knows anything about the candidates so the voters are defaulting to women. I really don't think the public is trying to correct the prior disadvantages. I just think the public trusts women more when they don't know anything else.
The results of the judicial races is a travesty, an absolute joke. Wow, I feel sorry for any of you who have complex litigation coming up any time soon. And no, I am not a candidate, nor am I related to a candidate, and I am a women.
How did no one challenge Escobar's seat? Wow.
Trevor Atkin is now behind! WTF?
Maybe people are picking women because they realize the marginally-talented Mormon men who run this town should be shown the door.
As one such man, I take great offense at this! It's marginally-talented LATTER-DAY SAINT men! Please be more careful in the future!
By definition, most women are only of average ability. These seek public jobs. Women who really are talented work in the private sector.
Vegas is a place where it makes sense to be in the public sector. In DC or California, private sector jobs pay way more, and cost of living makes public sector salary tough to swallow. In Vegas, a prosecutor/PD/judge position gives you sweet work life balance, solid pay, and not much down side.
There are REALLY talented smart women attorneys. Other than Tara, I cannot find any of the newly elected winners who fall into that category. We just elected 6 years of Hell and peremptory challenges.
3:42 is correct.
12:51- You sir are an ignorant potato.
I like potatoes
12:51–I hope sir, that your post was a slice of ironic lampoonery, and that you were not serious.
Perhaps I'm dense, but I cannot tell.
Perhaps 12:51 meant to say that the ability of 68% of female attorneys falls within 1 standard deviation from the average.
Wild Bill is now down by 2,000 to Crystal Eller.
I love it!
I'm beyond disgusted that one's gender has any bearing on the qualification if that person. I can't believe there exists women attorneys so brainwashed into believing they're oppressed by any means. Grow up!!!! Put on your big girl pants and act like a real woman, not some sniffling baby needing coddling and affirmation. Signed, a female attorney embarrassed by current feminism.
So the Little Pencil-Neck is trying to disenfranchise NV voters, eh?
We'll remember . . .
8:00–Good points, but there is at least one benefit we have realized from the fact many voters blindly vote for females in judicial races–a certain male incumbent has been eliminated who most attorneys appear to agree needed to be shown the door.