James Dean Leavitt

James Dean Leavitt

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Nevada Board of Regents District 13

---

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Brigham Young University, 1985

Law

University of Idaho College of Law, 1991

Other

UNLV, 2016

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

James Dean Leavitt was a member of the Nevada Board of Regents, representing District 13. He assumed office in 2004. He left office in 2016.

Leavitt ran in a special election for the Department 4 judge of the Las Vegas Township Justice Court in Nevada. He lost in the special general election on November 5, 2024.

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

Elections

2024

See also: City elections in Las Vegas, Nevada (2024)

General election

Special general election for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 4

Suzan Baucum defeated James Dean Leavitt, Jessica Smith-Peterson, Hilary Heap, and Holly Stoberski in the special general election for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Suzan Baucum (Nonpartisan)	27.1	141,859
		James Dean Leavitt (Nonpartisan)	24.2	126,909
		Jessica Smith-Peterson (Nonpartisan)	22.4	117,081
		Hilary Heap (Nonpartisan)	13.3	69,629
		Holly Stoberski (Nonpartisan)	13.0	68,264

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 523,742
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Leavitt in this election.

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Clark County, Nevada (2022)

General election

Special general election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 9

Incumbent Maria A. Gall defeated James Dean Leavitt in the special general election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 9 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Maria A. Gall (Nonpartisan)	62.8	359,443
		James Dean Leavitt (Nonpartisan)	37.2	213,026

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 572,469
= 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.

2018

See also: Municipal elections in Clark County, Nevada (2018)

General election

General election for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 1

Elana Lee Graham defeated James Dean Leavitt in the general election for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 1 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Elana Lee Graham (Nonpartisan)	57.7	203,057
		James Dean Leavitt (Nonpartisan)	42.3	149,138

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 352,195
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 1

Elana Lee Graham and James Dean Leavitt defeated Vincent Ginn in the primary for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 1 on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Elana Lee Graham (Nonpartisan)	47.0	53,893
✔		James Dean Leavitt (Nonpartisan)	35.2	40,358
	Submit photo	Vincent Ginn (Nonpartisan)	17.7	20,333

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 114,584
= 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.

Selection method

For more information about judicial selection processes in each state, click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

James Dean Leavitt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Leavitt's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have practiced criminal law in the Las Vegas Justice Court since 1992 the year I was appointed to the Nevada Bar. In law school I was a clerk for the United States Attorneys office in Eugene. Oregon where I drafted Sentencing Memoranda and tried misdemeanor cases. My first job after law school was as an associate attorney with Goodman and Chesnoff. the most prestigious firm in Las Vegas. In 1994 I opened the Law Office of James Dean Leavitt practicing mostly criminal defense. In 2004 and 2010 I was elected to the Nevada Board of Regents where I spent 12 years helping the Nevada System of Higher Education. During my time on the Board I was elected twice by my colleagues to be the Chairman of the Board and as a five time Chairman of the Health Sciences Committee I led the effort to create and establish the UNLV School of Medicine. In 2015-2016 I earned my Master of Laws (L.L.M) in Gaming Law from the Boyd School of Law at UNLV the only masters program offered in gaming in the United States. Since then I have added gaming to my criminal defense practice.

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?

• No other candidate has served in an elected position and contributed more to our community
• No other candidate in this race has earned a Masters Degree in law.
• No other candidate has more experience and length of time practicing criminal law in Las Vegas Justice Court.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Criminal Defense Reform and making sure the punishment fits the crime.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire all elected officials who work hard and put the people’s interests before their own.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Politiical philosophy is important for non-judicial races. Nevada Judicial races are nonpartisan and Judges are required to follow the law and not interject their personal opinions or beliefs into their decisions from the Bench.

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

Judges are elected to follow the law and apply the facts of each case to the law. They are to exercise their authority within the powers granted to them one duly elected. Judges should not legislate from the bench as those duties are left to the duly elected legislature.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Honesty, competency, fairness and consistency.

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

Please see answer above

What legacy would you like to leave?

Having my adult children follow my life of education and public service.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Watergate occurred in 1971 and I was 10 years old at the time. That was my introduction into law and politics.

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

Cooking french fries at a rodeo - it was a seasonal job.

What is your favorite book? Why?

All the Presidents Men - it was my introduction into law and politics.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Don’t Worry Baby by the Beach Boys

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Depression

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

Justices of the Peace try misdemeanor criminal cases for those charged in Clark County and preside over preliminary hearings for those charged with felony cases in Clark County.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

Follow the law.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Several but I do not believe it is appropriate to publicly name them.

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

Empathy is very important but fairness and equally applying the law is even more important.

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

I have not been rated by the Nevada Bar but I have a 4.9 out of 5 rating from my clients on AVVO, a nationally recognized rating service.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

The public deserves the most experienced practitioners to become Judges. I am hoping this experience benefits those that come before me.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

Absolutely - my experience serving 12 years on the Nevada Board of Regents gives me incredible insight into the operations of government.

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

We need to do everything we can to make the courts efficient and affordable so we are truly representing those we have been elected to serve.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

Treating each Defendant respectfully and consistently is what Judges are expected to do primarily. However, Judges have an incredible opportunity and responsibility to educate the public on current legal issues.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

Possibly at a future time.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

N/A

Tell us your favorite joke.

Inappropriate for Ballotpedia - lol

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I have purposefully not sought any

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe in full transparency and accountability to the public. It is the taxpayer who supports the 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.

2022

James Dean Leavitt did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 4

Website

Personal

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Footnotes

Nevada courts

---

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