John Rutledge
Editor’s note: For the 2018 primary election guide candidates were asked for picture, address, occupation, age, contact information. record of service in under 200 words, eduction information a 200-word statement on their platform and to answer why they are the most qualified for the position (500 word limit).
Leon Aberasturi
Address: LA for Justice, P.O. Box 386, Fernley NV 89408
Age: 51
Contact Information: judgelaforjustice@gmail.com; judgelaforjustice.com
Record of Service:Third Judicial District Court, Dept. 2, 2007-present; Lyon County District Attorney, 2001-2006; Lander County Deputy District Attorney, 1996-2000; Lyon County Deputy District Attorney, 1994-1996 and 2000
Education: University of Arizona, Tucson Arizona, 1989 B.A. History & B.A. Russian Language; University of Idaho, College of Law, Moscow, Idaho Juris Doctorate
Platform: Courts are about people. People expect that their courts will resolve their problems. People expect that their courts will provide them a fair opportunity to be heard. People expect decisions based upon Nevada law and common sense. Finally, people expect to receive decisions in a timely manner. Whether right or wrong, too many Nevadans believe that they are not receiving the service that they have a right to expect from their family courts in Clark and Washoe counties. Nevada’s families should come first. The family courts in Washoe and Clark counties need more judges and resources to help our families. The Supreme Court needs to act with a sense of urgency. Less time should be spent on commissions and administrative dockets. Courts exist to resolve people’s problems and not to indulge a judge’s desire to legislate. If elected, I will urge other members of the Supreme Court to focus upon our families and to focus upon resolving the backlog of cases.
Qualifications: I have served as a rural district court judge for over 10 years in the Third Judicial District. Prior to serving on the bench, I was the elected Lyon County District Attorney. I also served as a deputy district attorney for Lyon and Lander counties. I understand the issues that impact our rural communities and governments. I appreciate the importance of agriculture, mining, and the use of our public lands.
There are 17 counties in Nevada. The 15 rural counties have little to no representation in our State government. With each census we lose more of our local representation due to re-apportionment.
The Nevada Supreme Court has seven seats. It has been decades since a rural county judge was elected to the Nevada Supreme Court. Adding another judge from Washoe or Clark counties will add no diversity to our Supreme Court. The Supreme Court also lacks any justices with extensive family law experience.
Why elect a rural county district court judge? Rural county district court judges handle every aspect of the law. Rural counties do not have family courts or business courts in which the judges only handle those matters. It is not uncommon for a rural county judge to handle a child custody case in the morning and an evidentiary hearing in a murder case in the afternoon. The next day might involve a water rights case or quiet title action.
As a grandson of Basque immigrants, I understand the importance of family and community. I have served Nevadans in three rural counties over the past 24 years. I raised my children in Lovelock, Battle Mountain, and Fernley. I have also worked in Yerington and Fallon. I have been married to my wife Suzanne for 28 years. My children are now pursuing graduate degrees.
You have a choice in this election. Please join others such as State Senators James Settelmeyer and Pete Goicoechea, Assemblywoman Dr. Robin Titus and Assemblyman Jim Wheeler who have endorsed me. You do not have to vote for an establishment candidate from Clark County. You can elect a candidate who will bring a rural independent view to you Nevada Supreme Court.
Please vote for Judge Leon Aberasturi.
Elissa F. Cadish
Address: 1930 Village Center Circle, #3-512, Las Vegas, NV 89134
Occupation: Eighth Judicial District Court Judge, Civil Criminal Division, Department 6
Age: 53
Contact Information: JudgeCadish@gmail.com; JudgeCadish4Justice.com
Record of Service: I have been a District Judge since 2007, hearing civil and criminal cases. I was also the probate judge for two years. I also hear administrative appeals and appeals from municipal courts and justice courts.
Education: B.A. with Honors in Political Science, University of Pennsylvania; J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
Platform: There are two main points to my platform: 1) Fair and consistent application of the law; and 2) Decreasing the time to decision and more published decisions. First, as a Justice, my rulings will always be based on the facts, the law, and what is just. This is the way I have approached the cases before me as a District Judge, always ruling based on the merits of the case, not the race, religion, socioeconomic status, or political clout of the attorneys or the parties before me. I am absolutely committed to the rule of law, and thus the law must be applied fairly and consistently to all parties and nobody is above the law.
Second, now that the Court of Appeals has been in place for a couple of years, the Nevada Supreme Court must resolve the cases before it more quickly, and recognize the impact on people’s lives when cases remain pending for years without a resolution. I also look forward to issuing more published decisions which have the effect of binding precedent and thus will lend consistency and predictability to litigation at the trial level once we know what the law is in a particular area.
Qualifications: I am the most qualified based on my education, work experience, demeanor, and community involvement. I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with honors in Political Science, and then went to law school at the University of Virginia where I was on the Virginia Law Review and was awarded the Order of the Coif based on graduating in the top 10 percent of the class. After law school, I clerked for United States District Judge Philip Pro in Las Vegas for two years, and then practiced in the areas of commercial litigation and employment law for 16 years.
In 2007, I was appointed as a District Judge in the Eighth Judicial District Court where I have been hearing civil and criminal cases for over 10 years now. As a District Judge, I treat everybody with courtesy and respect, work hard to prepare for every hearing, and rule based on the facts and the law, explaining the reasons for my decisions. I get along well with the attorneys and parties who appear before me as well as my colleagues on the bench, and have relationships of mutual respect with the current Nevada Supreme Court Justices who have been reviewing my decisions for the last 10 years. During that time, I have been the highest rated female judge in my court in the Review-Journal’s Judging the Judges survey.
Throughout my career, I have been very involved in the legal community and the community at large, and have been recognized for my contributions. I was President of the Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys from 2004 to 2006, and President of the Howard D. McKibben Chapter of the American Inn of Court from 2010 to 2012. I was recognized by the Clark County Law Foundation as the Trial by Peers Judge of the Year for 2009 and was the Clark County Bar Association’s Ambassador of the Year for 2010. In May of 2016, I was a recipient of the Clark County Law Foundation’s Liberty Bell Award. I have participated as a judge in the We the People competition among high school students regarding knowledge of the U.S. Constitution for more than 25 years, and am now the co-chair of the Nevada Bar’s We the People Committee and sit on the Board of the Nevada Center for Civic Engagement. I was recognized by Congregation Ner Tamid as a Woman of Valor in November 2011. I have also served on the Board of the Jewish Family Service Agency in Las Vegas since January of 2014.
Based on all of the above, I believe the breadth and depth of my legal experience, my demonstrated skill at legal analysis and reputation for fairness and calm reflection, my ability to work productively with colleagues, and visibility and leadership in the community make me the most qualified candidate for this position.
Alan Lefebvre
Website: Alan4NSCseatC.com
http://alan4nscseatc.com/about-alan/
http://alan4nscseatc.com/about-the-cour
http://alan4nscseatc.com/faqs/t/
John Rutledge
Address: 320 N. Carson St., Carson City, Nevada 89701
Occupation: Attorney
Age: 45
Contact Information: RutledgeForNevada.com; john@rutledgelawcenter.com
Education: Loyola Marymount University, B.A. in Philosophy; Howard University School of Law, J.D. cum laude; University of Miami School of Law, L.LM. in Real Property Development
Platform: I am passionate about the rule of law and the equal application of justice. Among other things, our state’s Supreme Court regulates legal practice in Nevada — and, in doing so, it profoundly affects our daily lives. I’m looking to join the Court to add my voice, my vision, and my legal and life experience to that decision-making body — so that I can help it make the fairest decisions possible.
Qualifications: A hero of mine is famous for advising that applicants should be evaluated for their integrity, intelligence, and experience — in that order. He cautions that, without the first two, the third one will kill you. As for me, my integrity is intact and non-negotiable. Further, as far as I know, my intelligence has never been questioned. Add in my extremely broad and deep life and private practice experiences and I’m confident you’ll agree that I’m the right choice for this position. Please vote RUTLEDGE for Nevada Supreme Court-Seat C. Thank you.
Jerry Tao
Address: Committee to Elect Jerry Tao, 645 Sierra Rose Drive, #105b, Reno, NV 89511; or 10170 W. Tropicana Ave., #156-290, Las Vegas, NV 89147
Occupation: Judge, Nevada Court of Appeals
Age: 50
Contact Information: www.JerryTao.org
Record of Service: Currently serve as a Judge, Nevada Court of Appeals (appointed by Governor Sandoval in 2015); Served as Judge, 8th Judicial District Court, 2011-2015; Also served as a Deputy District Attorney (criminal prosecutor) for Clark County
Education: J.D., with honors, George Washington University Law School; B.S., Cornell University
Platform: Nevada’s court system is too clogged, too slow, and far too expensive, to the point where the average Nevadan dreads having anything to do with it. During my three years serving as a Judge on the Court of Appeals, we’ve developed some ideas on how to process appeals quickly, while also achieving fairness and justice and simultaneously lowering costs, that have made the Court of Appeals one of the most efficient and respected courts in the State. I plan on bringing these insights to the Supreme Court in an effort to make justice more affordable and accessible to more Nevadans.
Qualifications: I will bring a range of experience to the Supreme Court that no other candidate has. I’m the only candidate to have served as a Court of Appeals Judge, District Court Judge, criminal prosecutor, and civil trial attorney. Since being appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2015, I have participated in handling more than 2,700 appeals of all kinds from every corner of the state — which is 2,700 more than any other candidate in this race. Through my prior service as a criminal prosecutor, I gained valuable insight into the criminal justice system that I plan on bringing with me to the Supreme Court. I’m proud to be the only candidate endorsed by the Clark County Prosecutors’ Association and by Attorney General Adam Laxalt, and I hope that you’ll support me too.