Erika Mendoza

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Erika Mendoza

Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 27

Tenure

2024 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

1

Predecessor

Nancy Allf

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Appointed

March 24, 2024

Education

High school

Brockport High School

Bachelor's

University of New York, Buffalo, 2004

Law

UNLV Boyd School of Law, 2011

Personal

Birthplace

Rochester, N.Y.

Profession

Judge

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Erika Mendoza is a judge for Department 27 of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court. She assumed office on September 5, 2024. Her current term ends on January 4, 2027.

Mendoza ran in a special election for the Department 27 judge of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court. She won in the special general election on November 5, 2024.

Mendoza completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

She was appointed to the court on March 21, 2024, by Joe Lombardo (R) to replace Nancy Allf.

Biography

Erika Mendoza was born in Rochester, New York. She graduated from Brockport High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of New York, Buffalo in 2004 and a law degree from the UNLV Boyd School of Law in 2011. Her career experience includes working as a judge and as a prosecutor and team chief of the gun crimes unit for the Clark County District Attorney's Office.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Clark County, Nevada (2024)

General election

Special general election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 27

Incumbent Erika Mendoza defeated Terry Coffing and Alexandra McLeod in the special general election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 27 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Erika Mendoza (Nonpartisan)	47.6	378,107
		Terry Coffing (Nonpartisan)	26.8	212,986
	Submit photo	Alexandra McLeod (Nonpartisan)	25.5	202,736

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 793,829
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Mendoza in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Erika Mendoza completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mendoza'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 grew up in upstate New York in a working class family. My parents emphasized personal responsibility, accountability, and strong work ethic. I moved to Las Vegas almost 20 years ago, worked in the service industry, then went to UNLV law school. I spent my legal career as a prosecutor at the Clark County DA's Office before my appointment to the bench. I am married to a born and raised Las Vegan and business owner. We have two young sons.

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 have spent my entire legal career working to protect public safety for the people of Clark County and now continue to focus on the community from the bench.
• The mission statement for my courtroom is - consistent, efficient administration while safeguarding litigants' rights and protecting the community.
• I approach each calendar prepared and informed but with an open mind to listen to all sides. I will always be courteous, let everyone be heard, and make swift informed decisions.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about separation of powers, which means, as a judge, I will always follow the law. I will not engage in judicial advocacy by stretching the law to meet my personal policy positions and/or assure a certain result is achieved.

Where I have discretion, I will always prioritize the good of the community while evaluating the circumstances of each case individually to determine the appropriate result.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

For elected officials generally (as opposed to judges specifically) - The ability and willingness to prioritize his or her elected job rather than politics or campaign concerns. Willingness and confidence to be honest and true to oneself with voters as opposed to flip flopping to accommodate the audience. Focus on the good of the community as a whole, rather than one individual or group.

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

The core responsibilities of a judge are - to be prepared, courteous, open minded, with the patience and desire to allow all parties to be heard. A judge must be willing to set aside his or her personal politics to follow the law and/or not manipulate the law to achieve a specific desired result. A judge must be willing to make and stand by difficult, sometimes unpopular, decisions. A judge must have the demeanor to issue those decisions in a kind, but firm manner. A judge must understand his/her job is not to be a people pleaser and therefore be comfortable not being liked all the time.

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

Restaurant hostess. That particular job I had for probably a year. With the exception of periods during law school, I have worked consistently since I was 15. There were summers I worked 3 jobs. In fairness, out of industriousness rather than necessity. Most of my jobs prior to becoming an attorney were front of the house restaurant positions.

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

One thing many people do not realize is how QUICKLY a judge must make important decisions during hearings and trials and how few attorneys have significant in court experience. People do not realize most lawyers do not spend a lot of time actually in court versus in their offices handling transactional or prelitigation work.

It is imperative for a judge to have significant IN COURT experience to make accurate evidentiary and trial rulings with confidence. The rules of evidence and issues related to fair trial are the same in both criminal and civil law, but if an attorney has not spent much time in court he or she will not be able to make these important rules on the fly. These rulings can affect whether or not a person will go to prison or walk out in the community and whether a civil litigant is held liable for or awarded millions of dollars in damages.

As a prosecutor, I spent almost every day of my career in court handling arraignments, bail arguments, grand jury presentations, preliminary hearings, evidentiary hearings, trials, sentencings, and post conviction arguments. Nothing but repetition can help one develop the ability to respond to quick fire, dynamic issues in Court. Since taking the bench I have transitioned to handle these types of issues in hearings and trials with confidence.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

As described in the prior questions, the first thing I must do is follow the law. Where I have discretion, I will always consider all points of view and the totality of circumstances to come to a decision best for the community

My overall goal is - consistent, efficient administration while safeguarding rights and protecting the community.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Empathy is important to inform discretionary decisions to the extent empathy assists a judge in understanding an interested party's position. However, the distinction between empathy, or understanding another's position, and sympathy, or a feeling of sorrow for a person, is important for a judge.

Much more important than empathy for a judge is the ability to put sympathy aside where it is irrelevant to the issue at hand.

For example, in a criminal sentencing the Court must consider the unique circumstances of the case and the defendant to determine the most appropriate sentence. It is important for the judge to use empathy to understand how the potential sentence would affect both sides. But that is only part of the bigger overall question of what is best for the community. Where the answer is clear as to how the community would be best served - the judge must be able to set aside any sympathy for either party and be willing to make the decision that is right for the community.

Similarly, the Court must be willing to prioritize clear law over any empathy or sympathy. For example, if there is a constitutional violation related to a search warrant, the remedy is generally exclusion of the evidence and often dismissal of a case. The judge must be able to set aside any sympathy related to the underlying case and make the clear call under the law.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

No

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

Over the past few years we had a lot of turnover in the Eighth Judicial District Court and we lost a lot of senior judges. Further, covid changed the acceptable standard of practice and many in the legal field are struggling to return to pre covid standards. I believe the court system and the community as a whole are at a pivotal point in the direction of our future. I loved being a prosecutor, but I became a judge to help the community on a bigger scale. I wanted to ensure we are protecting the ever evolving and growing interests of Clark County while also encouraging a certain standard of practice within the legal community.

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

My primary concern about the legal system is focusing on public safety and efficiency in the system. The current delay and backlog is unreasonable. Parties should be held accountable to deadlines and rules to increase efficiency.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Law Enforcement - Endorsed by PSAN (Public Safety Alliance of Nevada) and NAPSO (Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers). Each of those groups represent numerous law enforcement agencies across Nevada. These groups include LVMPD, Henderson, North Las Vegas, NHP, School District and University Police, Juvenile Justice Officers, and the Department of Parole and Probation.

DA Steve Wolfson

Sheriff Kevin McMahill

Las Vegas Review Journal

Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada

Southern Nevada Building Trades - 19 unions of construction workers

Clark County Prosecutors' Association

LiUNA - Laborers' International Union of North America

Latin Chamber of Commerce

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Transparency and accountability are important as we have a government for the people. Such is especially true in times like the present when there is an increased distrust of government.

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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Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 27

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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