Douglas Herndon
2021 - Present
2027
4
Douglas Herndon is a judge for Seat D of the Nevada Supreme Court. He assumed office on January 4, 2021. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.
Herndon ran for election for the Seat D judge of the Nevada Supreme Court. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Herndon is the chief justice of the Nevada Supreme Court.[1]
Herndon became a member of the court through a nonpartisan election. He was first elected to the court in 2020 to the seat vacated by Mark Gibbons.[2][3] To read more about judicial selection in Nevada, click here.
Herndon served on the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court (Department 3) from 2005 to 2021. He was appointed to the court by former Gov. Kenny Guinn (R) on January 18, 2005.
Biography
Herndon earned a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University in 1986 and a J.D. from the Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1990. Before being appointed to the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court, he worked in the Clark County district attorney’s office, including nine years as chief deputy district attorney of the special victims unit. Herndon served on the Eighth Judicial District Court from 2005 to 2021. He was the chief judge of the criminal division from 2010 to 2017 and the chief judge of the homicide case team from 2017 to 2020.[2][4]
Herndon has volunteered with the rape crisis center in Clark County and been a member of the Clark County Child Death Review Team, Child Protection Team, Domestic Fatality Review Team, Sexual Abuse Investigation Team, and the State Domestic Violence Task Force.[4]
Elections
2020
See also: Nevada Supreme Court elections, 2020
General election
General election for Nevada Supreme Court Seat D
Douglas Herndon defeated Ozzie Fumo in the general election for Nevada Supreme Court Seat D on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Douglas Herndon (Nonpartisan) | 45.4 | 557,584 |
 | Ozzie Fumo (Nonpartisan) | 36.3 | 445,871 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 18.4 | 225,623 | ||
| Total votes: 1,229,078 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Nevada Supreme Court Seat D
Douglas Herndon and Ozzie Fumo defeated Erv Nelson in the primary for Nevada Supreme Court Seat D on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Douglas Herndon (Nonpartisan) | 45.0 | 205,151 |
| ✔ | | Ozzie Fumo (Nonpartisan) | 35.6 | 162,364 |
 | Erv Nelson (Nonpartisan) | 10.3 | 47,076 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 9.0 | 41,095 | ||
| Total votes: 455,686 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2014
- See also: Nevada judicial elections, 2014
Herndon ran for re-election to the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court in 2014. He defeated Michael D. Davidson in the general election on November 4, 2014, receiving 61.8% of the vote.[5]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Douglas Herndon did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
State supreme court judicial selection in Nevada
- See also: Judicial selection in Nevada
The seven justices of the Nevada Supreme Court are elected to six-year terms in nonpartisan elections. When their terms expire, justices must run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court.[6]
Qualifications
To serve on the Nevada Supreme Court, a person must:
- be at least 25 years old;
- be licensed and admitted to practice law in Nevada, and have been licensed and admitted to practice law in the United States for at least 15 years, including at least two years in Nevada;
- be a qualified elector; and
- have been a state resident for at least two years preceding the election[7]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is chosen according to seniority. According to state law, if there are two or more eligible justices, the chief justice is determined by lot.[8] Alternatively, the internal operating procedures of the supreme court allow the possibility of an agreement between eligible justices.[9] According to the Administrative Office of the Courts in Nevada, often the eligible members of the court will agree to a lesser term as chief justice if there are multiple eligible justices in the last two years of their terms who want to serve in that capacity. Such agreements have been memorialized by a court order or other official document filed with the clerk.[10]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection solicits and screens applicants. The commission presents a list of three nominees to the governor, who appoints one to fill the vacancy until the next general election. If the predecessor's term is not expiring that election cycle, the appointed justice must win the election to the court to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.[11]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
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Candidate Nevada Supreme Court Seat D |
Officeholder Nevada Supreme Court Seat D |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ KOLO 8 News Now "Herndon begins term as Chief Justice of Nevada Supreme Court" accessed April 9, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Supreme Court of Nevada, "Justice Douglas Herndon," accessed July 5, 2021
- ↑ Las Vegas Sun, "Nevada Supreme Court chief wins; Other race faces runoff," June 15, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Clark County Courts, "Douglas W. Herndon," archived March 7, 2017
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Silver State Election Night Results 2014," December 15, 2014
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Nevada | Selection of Judges," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ Nevada Legislature, " NRS 2.020 Qualifications," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ Nevada Legislature, "NRS 2.030 Election; Chief Justice," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ Nevada Judiciary, "Nevada Supreme Court: Internal Operating Procedures," May 20, 2021
- ↑ This information was provided to Ballotpedia in an email from the Administrative Office of the Courts in Nevada.
- ↑ Administrative Office of the Courts, "FACTS and FAQs," accessed August 20, 2021
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
