Adam Breeden

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Adam Breeden

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 9, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

The Ohio State University, 2000

Law

University of Cincinnati College of Law, 2003

Personal

Birthplace

Chillicothe, Ohio

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Adam Breeden ran for election for the Department 15 judge of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court. He lost in the primary on June 9, 2020.

Breeden completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Adam Breeden was born in Chillicothe, OH. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University in 2000 and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 2003. Breeden’s career experience includes working as an attorney. He won the Clark County Pro Bono Award for pro bono service, with commendation from Harry Reid and Jon C. Porter, who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Clark County, Nevada (2020)

General election

General election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 15

Incumbent Joseph Hardy Jr. won election in the general election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 15 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joseph Hardy Jr. (Nonpartisan)	100.0	672,903

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 672,903
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 15

Incumbent Joseph Hardy Jr. defeated Tegan Christine Machnich and Adam Breeden in the primary for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 15 on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joseph Hardy Jr. (Nonpartisan)	57.0	158,857
		Tegan Christine Machnich (Nonpartisan)	31.2	87,065
		Adam Breeden (Nonpartisan)	11.8	32,837

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 278,759
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Adam Breeden completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Breeden's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I've practiced law in Clark County Nevada for seventeen years. I graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University, studied legal theory abroad at Oxford University, England, attended a top tier law school where I was awarded a full scholarship and externed for a US District Court Judge. I've won awards for my commitment to pro bono (free) legal services to our Community (Family Law, Veterans and Homeless assistance), served on the State Bar of Nevada's Fee Dispute Committee, authored a published law review article on the Fourth Amendment and have been a courtroom litigator my entire career. I'm a member of the Nevada Justice Association and have been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers Assn., American Society of Legal Advocates, and been named a Top 100 Lawyer by MyVegas Magazine. Overall, I've been licensed to practice law in four different states and eleven different federal courts and handled matters in Nevada's First, Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Judicial Courts as well as the Nevada Court of Appeals, Nevada Supreme Court, Nevada District Attorney Support Division, Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles and Nevada Worker's Compensation system. Please support me in 2020 with your vote.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I stand for hard working, honest people from all backgrounds. I've spent years litigating representing both sides of lawsuits, plaintiffs and defendants. I now want to put my experience and training on the other side of the courtroom to better serve our community as a District Court judge.
• I pledge to support everyone's Constitutional rights, improve the quality of the Department 15's decisions and more quickly administer justice so litigants do not wait years for a case resolution.
• My opponent, the incumbent, was originally a political appointee to the bench and has a 40% error rate on appeal. He has been reversed in several major decisions including a $3,000,000 verdict and a $90,000+ sanctions award. I can do better for our community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Equal justice under law, no favors for the wealthy, powerful or politically connected. We need to end the "insider" system of politics in our state which has infected even the judiciary.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have had a long academic and professional career. I believe I am one of the most hard-working, honest, ethical attorneys in practice and would bring that attitude to the bench if elected.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A judge has to understand that they interpret and apply the law, not make new law. Too many judges interject their personal opinions into the law. By the time a bill has been passed into law, agreed to by a majority of the legislature and approved by the governor or president, it's been vetted. Putting a personal belief as to the law aside in order to reach the decision the law requires is the most important aspect of this position.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy as a tough but fair attorney who knew the law and gave back to the community.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was earning minimum wage as a bagger at a grocery store in high school. I worked that job for a year and half before going to college where I worked my way through school as a waiter and a paper mill worker. My first job taught me the value of hard work, the responsibility of a schedule and the need for a vision of the future.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Take on Me by Ah-Ha

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have fought against others getting preferential treatment based on wealth, power, influence, race, gender and other factors my entire life. All one can ask for is an equal chance to succeed.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Overall voters need to understand that District Court hears both civil and criminal cases as well as appeals from Justice Court and other sources. It is the first line for justice in our community and a judge is more likely to impact your life than any single legislator. At the same time, the public is badly under-informed about our judges. I'm trying to stop this by getting my name and message out there.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

Mark Twain once remarked that "Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." I used to feel this way about judges in our District. Some are fine judges but some are horrible. When I looked at Department 15, I saw that my Opponent was originally a political appointee to judicial office after failing to win election in 2014. Unfortunately, in his short time in office he has an abysmal record of 40% error on appeal, equivalent to an "F" grade. I have seen him in court seemingly unprepared, struggling to find the correct decision, and willfully disregarding clear, controlling legal precedent. Nearly one in four attorneys believed he should be removed from office during a recent Las Vegas Review Journal survey, equivalent to a "C" rating. He once erroneously entered a $3,000,000 verdict later overturned on appeal and once wrongly sanctioned an attorney $90,000+ which was also overturned on appeal. In another matter he failed to disclose a close association with an attorney who appeared on a case before him and then proceeded to repeatedly rule in favor of that attorney's client resulting in a $20,000,000+ verdict. He makes big mistakes on the bench, not small ones. I believe the residents of Clark County can do better than my Opponent and that is why I am running for District Court Judge in Department 15 to replace him.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

My primary concern about the legal system today is that there are too many judges who rule on what they want the law to be rather than what it is. This builds distrust of the judiciary and a system where we don't have law that is followed at all, just a system of who is better connected. This is one of the reasons I am running for judge.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Footnotes

Nevada courts

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Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Nevada • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Nevada

State courts:

Nevada Supreme Court • Nevada Court of Appeals • Nevada District Courts • Nevada Justice Courts • Nevada Municipal Courts • Clark County Family Court, Nevada

State resources:

Courts in Nevada • Nevada judicial elections • Judicial selection in Nevada