Heidi Almase
Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division Department X
Tenure
Term ends
Years in position
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Heidi Almase is a judge for Department X of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division. She assumed office on January 4, 2021. Her current term ends on January 4, 2027.
Almase ran for election for the Department X judge of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Almase completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Heidi Almase was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. She earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1992 and in 1996, respectively. She earned a J.D. from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2001. Almase's career experience includes working as an attorney. She served as a Category I peace officer with the State of Nevada from 1995 to 1998, as an intern with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and as an assistant to the National Academy in 1993. Almase was affiliated with the Judicial Council of Nevada from 2015 to 2017, with the Nevada Judges of Limited Jurisdiction in 2011 to 2017, with the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline from 2015 to 2017 as an alternate member, and with the Nevada Pre-Trial Assessment Committee from 2015 to 2016.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Clark County, Nevada (2020)
General election
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Heidi Almase and Jim Davis advanced from the primary for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division Department X.
Endorsements
To view Almase's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Heidi Almase completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Almase's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a former City of Las Vegas Judge. In 1979, my Mom and I moved to Las Vegas. I went to school in Las Vegas. I dropped out of high school. I obtained my GED and worked my way through college as a custodian for the Clark County School District. I have been serving this community for nearly 25 years, first as a state police officer, later as a prosecutor and judge. I have practiced civil, criminal and family law and not one day goes by where I don't use my experience in all three areas in Family Court where I have worked for the past three years.
- Experience - six years as a former judge and nearly 20 years as an attorney.
- Common sense - applying the law to the facts with efficiency.
- Compassion.
I am especially passionate about mental health and addiction issues particularly as those issues impact families in Nevada. Also, as the child of a single parent and a single parent myself, I have navigated the family court system and understand how critical the process is as well as how much families need finality in their cases.
I look up to former Attorney General Janet Reno because she led by accepting responsibility for her failures as well as her successes.
I love history and non-fiction books and podcasts. I don't think you can go wrong be reading or listening to anything having to do with history.
I believe work ethic, integrity and commitment to public service are critical aspects of being a good judicial officer.
I believe my work ethic and temperament set me apart. Public servants serve the will of the people. Holding public office is a full time job, not to be taken lightly and not as a vacation. In Family Court, we have extremely high caseloads handling very personal matters, all of which must be resolved quickly. Additionally, judges are often called on to hear difficult testimony or to hear very good people on their worst day. In that regard, a judge must be even-tempered and able to handle the most difficult situations in an evenhanded manner.
A judicial officer must hear cases with impartiality and fairness, first and foremost. Judges must also follow the law and manage their caseload in an efficient manner. To me, this means showing up every day on time, being prepared and polite.
I would like people to feel they were seen and heard regardless of the outcome in their particular case. I would also like people to believe the decision in their case was fair if not exactly what they wanted at the outset.
In 1974, I was in First grade and our class watched when President Nixon resigned the presidency and President Gerald Ford be sworn in. I was almost eight years old.
I was a grocery store clerk starting at age 12. I held the job for five years, until I was 17.
Toni Morrison's Beloved (any thing by Toni Morrison). Her language is lyrical and a feast. For someone who reads for a living, it is a treat to slow down and savor her language and story.
Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders.
Colors by the Black Pumas (live in Austin).
I have struggled to be both a professional and working parent. Being a mom is the best thing I have ever done. A close second has been obtaining my degrees after dropping out of high school. At the end of the day, I hope my choices and example serves my children.
I believe everyone should get to know their local judges. You may never have an opportunity to meet a senator or congressional representative but almost everyone will be in front of a judge at some point in their life. Family court judges have a significant impact on your most personal relationships and decisions. This impact can last for your entire life.
I believe judges should follow the law with efficiency but also listen with compassion.
I admire Justice Miriam Shearing. She was the first female justice of the Nevada Supreme Court.
I believe empathy - best exemplified by active and compassionate listening and decision-making, is critical.
As an attorney and former judge, I endeavor to have a meaningful impact on families and, in particular children. With my prior experience, I bring strong docket management and appellate experience to the table. Both are critical in family matters. First, cases must run efficiently through the system so that families can have finality. Second, a judge must make good decisions and a good record. Last, as the child of a single parent and a single parent myself, I have personally experienced navigating the family court system. I understand how traumatic and personal the situation can be. To that end, I intend to bring compassion to the bench.
Yes. As a former judge, I understand docket management as well as how courts function as a separate branch of government. I have also presided over hundreds of bench trials. Further, as a current employee of Family Court, I have a solid understanding of county infrastructure and the various client-divisions that are part of the Family Court system and its stakeholders.
I am very concerned about heavy caseloads and families waiting too long for decisions in their cases.
To meaningfully address mental illness and addiction in both our youth and in adults. I believe this to be one component of criminal justice and dependency reform.
I would be honored to win the seat I am currently running for. Family Court litigants benefit from having judges who are dedicated to serving in that capacity. Also, I have been fortunate to have been able to pay my dues as an elected judge on one of our lower courts.
The State Bar of Nevada does not rate judges.
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 August 13, 2020
