Mary Kay Holthus
Mary Kay Holthus is a judge for Department 18 of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court. Holthus assumed office in 2019. Holthus' current term ends on January 4, 2027.
Holthus ran for re-election for the Department 18 judge of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court. Holthus won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
On January 3, 2024, Judge Holthus was attacked in the courtroom while sentencing a defendant. To read more about the incident, please click here.
Elections
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Clark County, Nevada (2020)
General election
General election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 18
Incumbent Mary Kay Holthus defeated John Hunt in the general election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 18 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mary Kay Holthus (Nonpartisan) | 62.2 | 463,578 |
| John Hunt (Nonpartisan) | 37.8 | 281,395 | ||
| Total votes: 744,973 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Mary Kay Holthus and John Hunt advanced from the primary for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 18.
2018
General election
General election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 18
Mary Kay Holthus defeated incumbent Mark Bailus in the general election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 18 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Kay Holthus (Nonpartisan) | 55.0 | 283,294 |
 | Mark Bailus (Nonpartisan) | 45.0 | 231,711 | |
| Total votes: 515,005 | |||
| = 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
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
The 72 judges of the Nevada District Courts are elected to six-year terms in nonpartisan elections. To serve additional terms, judges must run for re-election.[1]
Each district court selects its chief judge to a two-year term by peer vote. Not every district court is required to select a chief judge; only in districts with populations over 100,000 are the courts required to choose one.[1]
Qualifications
To serve on the Nevada District Courts, a judge must be:[1]
- a qualified elector;
- a state resident for two years;
- a district resident;
- at least 25 years old;
- licensed and admitted to practice law in Nevada; and
- a licensed attorney for 15 years with at least two years in Nevada.
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mary Kay Holthus did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Noteworthy events
Courtroom attack
On January 3, 2024, Judge Holthus was attacked by a defendant as she sentenced him on multiple criminal charges.[2] Courtroom video captured the defendant—Deobra Delone Redden—jumping over the defense table and the judge's bench before grabbing her by the hair. Holthus was treated for minor injuries but was not hospitalized, according to courthouse officials.[2] On January 8, Redden again appeared in court before Holthus. She finished imposing his sentence, saying any charges resulting from the attack on January 3 would be handled separately and did not affect the sentence handed down at that time.[3]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
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Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Nevada," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Associated Press, "Defendant faces new charges after attacking a Nevada judge in court, which was caught on video," January 4, 2024
- ↑ Washington Post, "Judge finishes sentencing man who leaped over her bench to attack her," January 8, 2024
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
State resources:
Courts in Nevada • Nevada judicial elections • Judicial selection in Nevada
