District Court judge retiring

District Court Judge Archie E. Blake announced Thursday he is leaving the bench effective Feb. 11.

Blake has served as a judge in Churchill and Lyon counties, which make up the Third Judicial District, for 15 years and now wants to pursue other interests, he said.

"It's time," he said. "I have over 36 years in public service."

Although Blake has tendered his resignation to Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Rose, he anticipates that he will still be involved in the drug court in Fallon and Yerington as a senior judge.

He said the drug courts in Fallon and Yerington currently take up about 25 percent of his time.

His wife, Georgi, retired from the Lyon County School District last year after a teaching career of 30 years.

Once the judge retires, the couple expects to spend half the year in Reno and the other half in Ashland, Ore., where they have owned a house for 14 years.

"We'll do quite a bit of traveling and I'm involved in some educational stuff," the judge said.

He has been working on a research paper to help counties establish drug courts in their communities. Blake hopes to complete the work within the next year.

"It's been a very difficult decision because I really enjoy what I do," he said about leaving the bench. "I think we, as a group, make a difference. We do get along and have great staff."

He was referring to the two other judges in the Third District, Judge Robert E. Estes and Judge David A. Huff. They will handle extra duties until Gov. Kenny Guinn appoints someone to replace Blake until the term expires in three years.

Churchill County District Attorney Arthur Mallory confirmed Thursday he will submit an application for the appointment to replace Blake.

Blake, who turns 63 on Jan. 26, graduated from high school in Klamath Falls, Ore.

He spent five years in the Navy as an air crewman before attending Southern Oregon College where he earned a mathematics degree.

The judge also attended the University of Nevada, Reno to obtain a master's degree in economics. After graduation, he began working as a research economist for the state of Nevada.

Blake decided working with numbers wasn't his calling.

"As a mathematics economist, I was dealing with numbers. I never had a passion for it. I decided to go to law school and work with people instead of numbers," he said.

He was accepted at Norte Dame Law School and graduated in 1977.

Over the next 10 years, Blake served as the attorney for the Public Service Commission, assistant city attorney in Yerington and assistant district attorney for Lyon County.

He was first appointed to the bench by former Gov. Richard Bryan in 1988. Voters kept him on the bench through subsequent elections.

-- Marlene Garcia can be contacted at mgarcia@lahontanvalleynews.com