Clark County District Court
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 5
Indy Analysis
The panel suggested that Hibbets, recruited by personal injury lawyers, has done a lot to educate herself on being a judge. Barisich has not done anything egregious, in the panel’s view, to merit being ousted. They eventually decided it is a toss-up.

Veronica Barisich
IncumbentBarisich was a longtime civil litigation and family law attorney before being elected as a district judge in November 2021.
Tracy Hibbetts
Hibbetts is currently a chief deputy district attorney in Clark County and is assigned to the Special Victims Unit/Vehicular Crimes Unit.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 8
Indy Analysis
The panel saw this as a pretty clear choice – Peterson over Beaumont, who did not have the respect of the panel. The lawyers did have a problem with Judge Peterson’s conduct in this case, but did not find it disqualifying.

Jessica K. Peterson
IncumbentA private-practice attorney for two decades, Peterson, who was also a lawyer in Michigan, was elected as a district judge in November 2021.

Austin Beaumont
Currently a chief deputy in the district attorney’s major fraud unit, Beaumont has more than a decade of experience in criminal, civil and appellate law.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 12
Indy Analysis
Nice words about Gilliam from the panel – thoughtful and experienced, they said. Judge Leavitt was seen as having been around for a long time but still getting reversed too often and often not disclosing rationale. Clear unanimity for Gilliam.

Michelle Leavitt
IncumbentLeavitt was first appointed as a District Court judge in 2002 by Gov. Kenny Guinn. She previously was in private practice and served as a City of Las Vegas Municipal Court judge.
Dan Gilliam
Gilliam has worked in the Clark County Public Defender’s Office since 2005, representing individuals charged with crimes ranging from minor misdemeanors to major felonies.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 17
Click here for a deep dive
Jennifer Schwartz
IncumbentSchwartz was a private practice attorney before joining the Clark County Public Defender’s office in 2004. She was elected to the District Court in a 2022 special election.
Jake Villani
Villani has been a criminal prosecutor with the Clark County District’s office for more than 10 years, including three years on the Special Victims Unit.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 21
Indy Analysis
Judge Newberry was roundly derided by the panel, saying she does not treat criminal defendants well and blows up hard-wrought deals with prosecutors. But it was also said that she does a good job on the civil side – very fair. Hubert was seen as very smart and would be patient and thoughtful. Hubert was the choice here.

Tara Clark Newberry
IncumbentClark Newberry was elected to the seat in 2021. She was previously a trial attorney and mediator for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the Clark County District Court.
Alex Hubert
An attorney with the Clark County Public Defender’s Office since 2007, Hubert has assisted on the homicide and sexual assault defense teams.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 23
Indy Analysis
Lily Spells was seen as having done a good job on the bench, while Balhaus, a former counsel for the police department, was unsurprisingly not viewed very favorably by these lawyers. Their choice was Lily-Spells.

Jasmin Lilly-Spells
IncumbentBefore being elected to the seat in 2021, Lilly-Spells spent more than 10 years with the Clark County Public Defender’s Office, rising to chief deputy public defender

Martina Bauhaus
Bauhaus has 20 years of legal experience in civil and criminal law and is currently assistant general counsel for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 28
Indy Analysis
DeMonte was seen as having an excellent work ethic and as being very smart, but she was marked down for being too activist on the bench after a very well respected career in the district attorney’s office. Tarmu was cited as smart and an excellent attorney. Lean Tarmu.

Noreen C. DeMonte
DeMonte is the presiding judge in Las Vegas Justice Court, Dept. 10, having been elected in 2022. She spent several decades as a chief deputy district attorney and defense attorney.
Danielle A. Tarmu
Tarmu has been in private law practice for nearly 20 years, focusing on complex litigation cases involving catastrophic injury, wrongful death and insurance bad faith cases.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 29
Indy Analysis
Note: Information on these candidates is still being assembled and will be available shortly.
Quagge is seen as very smart and thoughtful. He was roundly praised by all of the panel. (Note: He is panelist Bailey Bortolin’s husband and she abstained during this discussion.) Judge Reynolds was seen as doing well in civil cases by one law firm. And he was praised by another panelist, too, for being a remarkable person, although there was some thought by other judges that he has a streak of misogyny. (Reynolds is a known conservative, most of these attorneys are not, and the judge is seen as a political animal by some.)

Jacob Reynolds
IncumbentReynolds was elected to the seat in a 2024 special election. He had previously worked as a private practice attorney, focusing on complex commercial litigation.

Alex Quagge
Quagge is a criminal prosecutor in the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. He also served as a military attorney in the U.S. Army.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 30
Indy Analysis
The judge has received mixed reviews, and he does get overturned. He also was not popular as chief judge. He was given credit for being out there and campaigning to retain his seat. Having not much experience or knowledge of the challenger, the panel took a pass on this one.

Jerry A. Wiese II
IncumbentWiese became a district judge in 2011 after working as a trial attorney in private practice, a court appointed arbitrator and a pro-tem justice of the peace in North Las Vegas.
Josh Santeramo
Santeramo has practiced law for 15 years, including 10 years in private practice and five years with the Nevada Attorneys for Injured Workers, a state agency.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 31
Indy Analysis
Note: Information on these candidates is still being assembled and will be available shortly.
The judge received pretty good reviews, although panelists noted that she sometimes berates people in court. A good judge who needs to improve her temperament, but got the panel’s endorsement.

Joanna S. Kishner
IncumbentKishner was first elected to the seat in 2010. Before joining the bench, she was in private law practice for two decades, including time as senior counsel at Warner Bros.
Alexandra Beth McLeod
McLeod has been in private law practice with various firms since 2003, handling civil litigation, criminal defense and personal injury cases.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 13

Adam Ganz
IncumbentGanz is currently an alternative dispute resolution / discovery commissioner for the 8th Judicial District Court. He practiced civil litigation in Las Vegas for nearly 30 years.
District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 26
Click here for a deep dive
Jessica Goodey
Goodey was elected to Las Vegas Justice Court 2022 and presides over a civil calendar. She was in private practice before her election. She is midway through a six-year term in justice court.









