Bita Yeager
Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 1
Tenure
Term ends
Years in position
Prior offices
Las Vegas Township Justice Court
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Bita Yeager is a judge for Department 1 of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court. She assumed office on January 4, 2021. Her current term ends on January 4, 2027.
Yeager ran for election for the Department 1 judge of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Yeager completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Yeager is a former District 6 judge on the Las Vegas Township Justice Court in Nevada. Yeager lost a re-election campaign in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Biography
Bita "Marie" Yeager was born in New York, New York. She obtained a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1991 and a J.D. from Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1994. Her professional experience includes working as a hearing master in Nevada's 8th Judicial District Court, as a judge in the Las Vegas Justice Court, as a team chief in the Clark County Public Defender's Office and a law clerk to Judges Stephen Huffaker, Addelliar D. Guy, and Lee Gates.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Clark County, Nevada (2020)
General election
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Jacob Villani and Bita Yeager advanced from the primary for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 1.
Endorsements
To view Yeager's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2016
- See also: Municipal elections in Clark County, Nevada (2016)
Rebecca Kern defeated incumbent Bita Yeager in the general election for the District 6 justice of the peace for Las Vegas.
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bita Yeager completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Yeager's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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"Community minded, justice driven" is my slogan, because it describes me best. After graduating from BYU law school, I made Las Vegas my home, working as an attorney in public service for 25 years. For almost two decades, I was a trial attorney and team chief at the Public Defender's office. For the last 5 years, I have been a judicial officer; first as a Judge in Justice Court, and now as a Hearing Master in District Court. Throughout my career, I have worked hard to find solutions to our gaps in the justice system. I founded both of our Community Courts, so that nonviolent offenders could be linked to, and held accountable to engage in services addressing the underlying causes of crime, such as homelessness, addiction, mental heath issues, and unemployment. I spearheaded the creation of a record sealing class, to help people navigate the complicated process. In my current position as a hearing master, I made evidence - based improvements to our Mental Health Court, and created a Co-Occurring Disorders Court. In my Civil Commitment Court, I make sure that community members in a mental health crisis are given the treatment they need without compromising their constitutional rights. I am the only candidate with judicial experience, and experience in both civil and criminal law. My experience, my work ethic, my commitment to fairness and my career long commitment to this community make me the best person for this job.
- I am a community minded problem solver. My track record shows that I go the extra mile to make improvements to our justice system. I have been on several statewide committees dedicated to improving our court system, and I continue to work hard for the benefit of our community.
- I am the only candidate in the race with judicial experience and experience in civil and criminal law, which are the types of cases a District Court Judge makes decisions about.
- I bring expertise in mental health and substance use disorders to the bench, which is a valuable asset, especially in criminal cases. I teach our first responders about mental health, and am on a statewide committee to make improvements to our court system for community member in a mental health crisis.
I am passionate about access to justice, which ensures that everyone appearing in court has an opportunity to be heard, and is treated fairly and courteously. Many people are intimidated about going to court, especially if they are representing themselves. For over 5 years I have had thousands of people appear before me, and I make sure that they have their day in court. I do this by avoiding legal terminology, and instead, using easy to understand language. I explain the purpose of the hearing, the law that I have to follow in order to come to a decision, the court rules they have to follow, and give each side an opportunity to tell me their position. After I make a decision, I make sure to explain what facts and law I relied on to come to that decision, and ask the parties if there are any questions. Most importantly, I treat everyone with respect, and in a calm but firm manner, I make sure that people in my court are respectful to each other. Community members need to have confidence that when they go to court, they will be treated fairly by the judge, which is why it is my top priority.
I most admire ordinary people who become extraordinary because of the extraordinary things they do. People who have the courage, steely determination, and grit to persevere, even in the face of hardship and adversity. People like Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall, who stood for civil rights during turbulent times. People like Abraham Lincoln and Alexander Hamilton who were born into poverty, but through hard work and perseverance, became great lawyers and leaders. People like our first responders and front line workers who put their lives on the line every day when they go to work. People like Bridger Walker, who, at only 6 years old, threw himself into harm's way to shield his 4 year old sister from an attacking dog. I am inspired by their courage, strength and their moral compass to do the right thing. I know that doing the right thing is usually never the easy or most convenient path to take. However, it can make the most positive impact on our society as a whole. I strive to follow the examples of others who, despite any fears or frailties they may have, are exceptional in their own way, either through perseverance and hard work, remarkable courage, integrity, compassion, or other admirable traits they possess. I want to follow in their footsteps so that even I, as an ordinary person, can make great contributions to others and my community as a whole.
I believe that when the public has entrusted you with the responsibility of holding an elected office, that you must not do anything to betray that trust. This includes doing your very best to take care of your responsibilities, working hard at your job, and having the utmost integrity in your public and personal life. As an elected official, you are a leader in the community and should be held to a higher standard of what the public expects of you, and you should always be mindful of the privilege of serving as an elected official.
I would like to be known for being hardworking, prepared on the facts and the law, even tempered, courteous, and fair in my day to day work as a judge. I would like to leave a legacy of making positive changes to our court system that increases access to justice in our community, and inspiring others to do the same. I would especially want to work with community partners to make sure that our community members with brain diseases such as mental illness and substance use disorder are not marginalized in our court system.
"On top of the world" by our hometown band, the Imagine Dragons. It is such a positive, upbeat song, that I have it on my playlist when I go running, and then I end up singing it all day!
Although growing up in the 80's I was definitely into "new wave" music (the Smiths, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, New Order, the Police, etc. etc.), I'm a big fan of our hometown bands, including Panic! At the Disco and the Killers. I love going to live concerts with family and friends, and am looking forward to being able to go to concerts again after the pandemic.
I have a philosophy of judicial restraint, meaning, I follow the law, and leave the creation of law or policy up to the other two branches. I see my role as being knowledgeable about the law and the caselaw for each case that comes before me, making sure that all litigants are treated fairly and courteously, and coming to a decision based on the facts and the law.
I do believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge, because many of your decisions directly affect people. While a judge has to be careful about expressing their own feelings, I believe it is important to understand and acknowledge what someone may be going through, so they know you recognize their feelings and how the case either has affected them or will impact them in the future. Although a judge's responsibility is to follow the law and be fair, it is also important to recognize that the day a person is in court may be a low point of their life, and that they may feel anxious and worried about how they will be treated in court. In my mind, showing empathy includes being patient, respectful, courteous, and actively listening to what that person has to say.
I do believe that it is beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government, as in my case, where I worked for Clark County as a public defender. By being familiar with government, politics, and the different systems that are in place, you are better able to understand how the court system is a part of a greater community ecosystem. As a public servant, I have been able to work with community stakeholders to leverage resources for vital court programs that benefit the community. I have also been able to see how certain issues in the court, or certain litigation has influenced policymakers in the legislative branch to make changes to existing law. Having a better understanding of the court system as a whole, and its role and intersection with the civil, criminal, and family organizations in the community makes a judge more well-rounded and in touch with the community.
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.
See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 31, 2020
Rebecca Kern 
