Supreme Court interviews Oct. 17-18

Interviews for applicants to fill the Supreme Court vacancy are set for October 17-18 in the Supreme Court courtroom.

The vacancy was created by the retirement of Nancy Saitta last month, leaving the court with just six justices.

The Commission on Judicial Selection is charged with narrowing the field from the nine Nevada lawyers who applied to replace her to three finalists.

Those names will be presented to Gov. Brian Sandoval who will make the final appointment.

Applicants must be Nevada lawyers with a minimum of two years in the state and at least 15 years of legal experience.

Four of the candidates are from western Nevada. Michael Powell of Gardnerville and Harriet Cummings of Carson City are on the list along with Washoe District Judge Lydia Stiglich and Paul Taggart of Carson City.

The southern Nevada applicants are District Judges Elissa Cadish, Mark Denton and Susan Johnson. Finally, Las Vegas lawyers Michael Buckley and Chris Davis applied.

The commission meeting starts at 10 a.m. with public comment. The first interview starts at 10:30 a.m.

Each interview is set for 45 minutes with time in between to prepare for the next candidate.

The interviews will be webcast and can be viewed on the Supreme Court website.

Final public comment will be open at 2 p.m. on the 18th in both the Carson City and Las Vegas courtrooms. Letters from the public are also accepted provided they’re signed.