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Candidates seek District Court positions in primary election
May 23, 2010
Las Vegas, Nevada: Two judgeships on the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court are being contested in the June 8, 2010 primary.[1]
Family Judge: Department C
Two attorneys from Las Vegas are contesting incumbent Steven Jones for his Family Judge position. This is Jones's first contested election after almost 20 years.
One of the candidates, Maria Maskall, has worked in the Las Vegas law system since 1997--first as a law clerk for a Family Court Judge, then as a private practice lawyer. She has also served as a temporary justice of the peace in North Las Vegas for the past three years. Maskall has worked with many low-income families throughout her career and claims that her "character, morals, ethics, [and] personality" make her the best candidate. She previously ran for Family Court positions in 2006 and 2008, but was unsuccessful.
The other challenger is Denise Pifer, who has practiced law in Las Vegas since 1996, dealing primarily with Family Court cases. She now owns her own law practice and wants to help children by serving on the court. In comparing her candidacy with incumbent Judge Jones, Pifer said, "I believe I have a better moral compass than does he."
The winner of this race will serve a four-year term.[2]
Family Judge: Department S
In the race for judge of the newly-created Department S, there are seven candidates.
Greta Muirhead has worked as a private practice lawyer in Las Vegas for 19 years, with an emphasis on family law. She volunteers as a fee dispute arbitrator. She ran unsuccessfully for a Family Court judgeship in 2008, but claims to have "the most varied Family Court judicial experience."
R. Nathan Gibbs has run his own law firm in Las Vegas since 2000. His primary focus is family law, and he has also volunteered as a fee dispute arbitrator for seven years. He describes himself as "patient and logical."
Ethan Kottler began his career as a law clerk on the Family Court and has run his own practice since 2002. He claims to have a plan to make registering temporary protective orders more efficient. He has experience working as a temporary hearing master in the Family Court and now seeks a full-time judgeship.
Tony Liker has practiced family, criminal, and personal injury law in Las Vegas since 1997. He has run for various offices many times before. Regarding his qualifications for the Family Court position, he said, "I know how to run an efficient courtroom and treat the people fairly and mainly look out for the best interests of the children."
Vincent Ochoa is a lawyer with a focus on family and juvenile law and a member of the State Bar of Nevada's Board of Governors. He has previously worked as an alternate municipal judge, an alternate hearing master for juvenile and truancy courts, an alternate domestic violence commissioner, and a District Court arbitrator.
David Churchill has not commented to the press. He was admitted to the Nevada Bar in 2000.
Rebecca P. Wallace is currently a domestic law attorney. She has been worked in this role for 17 years and has also served as a Pro Tem Domestic Violence Commissioner, Pro Tem Juvenile Delinquency Master and Pro Tem Abuse and Neglect Master.[1]
The winner of this race will serve a four-year term.[3]
See also
Nevada judicial elections, 2010
Footnotes
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
