District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Department 29

Nonpartisan

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.)

The Candidates

Reynolds, Jacob

Jacob Reynolds

Incumbent

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

Campaign Website

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

Candidate Deep Dive

Reynolds, Jacob

Years Licensed in NV

20 years

Court Docket

Civil and Probate

Trial Stats

  • Attorney
    • Total Trials: 100+
      • Jury: N/A
      • Bench: N/A
    • Practice Areas:
      • Criminal: N/A
      • Civil (not incl. family): All
      • Family: N/A
    • Appeals
      • Total: N/A
      • Pending
        • N/A

Recusals

N/A

Ethics History

N/A

Sanctions

N/A

Title

  • Incumbent District Court Judge, Dept. 29
    • Practice Areas: Civil and Probate
  • Prior Job Titles:
    • Special Litigation Counsel and Trial Manager, Switch, Ltd.
    • Partner, Hutchison & Steffen, PLLC (14 years)
    • Law clerk to Chief Judge Roger L. Hunt, U.S. District Court (D. Nev.) (2 years)
    • Law school intern for Judges Lloyd D. George (D. Nev.) and David Sam (D. Utah)
    • Adjunct professor, UNLV Boyd School of Law

Career Highlights

  • Runs free settlement conferences through the Judicial Settlement Program, including in Spanish.
  • Due diligence work in Uruguay and Brazil that uncovered fraud against Nevadans and led to indictments.
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent. Distinguished Client Service Award.
  • Habitat for Humanity home builds in El Salvador.

Significant Cases

  • As special litigation counsel for Switch, he served as trial manager in a $400 million antitrust case before Judge Kent Dawson, coordinating more than 40 attorneys with Mark Hutchison as lead trial counsel. They won. He has also argued personally in the Federal Circuit, and matters he worked on reached the Nevada Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court.
  • From the bench, the one result worth citing is 142 Nev. Adv. Op. No. 28, in which the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed him in a published opinion authored by Justice Stiglich.

Judicial Philosophy

  • “Fair. Impartial. Dedicated.”
  • Efficiency, preparation, equal justice, bipartisan support from plaintiff and defense lawyers alike.

Endorsements & Contributions

  • Major Donors:
    • Venetian Hotel
    • Hutchison & Steffen
    • Jacqueline Bretell
    • Eglet Adams
    • Ladah Law Firm
    • Smarter AI Corporation
    • Station Casinos
    • Resorts World
    • South Point
  • Endorsements:
    • Nevada Police Union
    • Public Safety Alliance of Nevada
    • LV Police Managers & Supervisors
    • LVPPA
    • LV Peace Officer Supervisor Association
    • CCSD POA
    • LV Peace Officers Association
    • PORAN
    • Sparks PPA
    • Washoe County Sheriff Deputies
    • Reno PPA
    • Carson City Sheriff’s Supervisory
    • Washoe County School Police
    • Douglas County Sheriff’s Protective
    • Clark County Deputy Marshals
    • Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada
    • SMART Local 88
    • Veterans in Politics International
    • Nevada Veterans Association
    • Nevada Veterans United
    • Armed Forces Chamber
    • Asian American Group
    • Hispanics in Politics
    • Latin Chamber of Commerce

Community Service

  • Habitat for Humanity (El Salvador)
  • Judicial Settlement Program mediator, including Spanish-language conferences
  • Pre-bench pro bono for maintenance workers, domestic violence survivors, homeowners
  • Church and community service
Quagge, Alex

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.

Campaign Website

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.

Candidate Deep Dive

Quagge, Alex

Years Licensed in NV

  • 2015; approximately 11 years
  • Admitted to the Nevada State Bar in October 2015.

Court Docket

N/A — Quagge is not currently a judicial officer.

Trial Stats

  • Quagge reports handling thousands of criminal cases as a prosecutor, ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies, including violent crimes, special-victims cases, and cases involving loss of life.
  • Reports trying numerous cases before juries and taking multiple jury trials to verdict.
  • At the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, has completed multiple felony jury trials, grand jury hearings, preliminary hearings, and bench trials.
  • At the Carson City District Attorney’s Office, prosecuted misdemeanor and felony matters and completed multiple preliminary hearings and bench trials.
  • As an Army JAG attorney, gained trial experience on both sides of the criminal justice system, serving as both a prosecutor and defense counsel and participating in contested trials and guilty pleas.

Recusals

N/A — Quagge has not previously served as a judicial officer.

Ethics History

No ethics or disciplinary history was identified in the candidate-provided materials.

Sanctions

No sanctions were identified in the candidate-provided materials.

Title

  • Candidate for District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District Court, Department 29
  • Deputy District Attorney, Clark County District Attorney’s Office
  • Major, Nevada Army National Guard

Career Highlights

  • Raised on the East Side of Las Vegas and graduated from Eldorado High School.
  • Earned a B.A. in Philosophy from UNLV in 2009.
  • Earned his J.D. from the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV in 2015.
  • Worked for the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada on consumer protection matters while attending law school.
  • Served as a legislative policy extern and later Transportation Policy Analyst in the Office of Governor Brian Sandoval.
  • Has experience within Nevada’s executive and judicial branches through his work in the Governor’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, and Nevada Court of Appeals.
  • Served in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, where he gained experience as both a criminal prosecutor and defense counsel and advised commanders and service members regarding legal matters.
  • Served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, prosecuting misdemeanor offenses within the special federal territorial jurisdiction of Fort Irwin.
  • Worked as a Deputy Attorney General advising state agencies within the Nevada Department of Business and Industry and representing the State in administrative proceedings.
  • Served as a Deputy District Attorney in Carson City before joining the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in 2023.
  • Currently prosecutes criminal cases on behalf of the State of Nevada in Clark County.
  • Has handled thousands of criminal cases, including violent crimes, special-victims matters, and cases involving loss of life.
  • Currently serves as a Major and Armor Officer in the Nevada Army National Guard.
  • Previously commanded B Troop, 1/221st Cavalry, where he was responsible for the management, training, discipline, and morale of 94 soldiers.

Significant Cases

  • Quagge did not identify individual significant cases by case name.
  • Reports handling thousands of criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies, including violent crimes, special-victims cases, and cases involving loss of life.
  • His military criminal-law experience included matters involving drug distribution, child exploitation, sex crimes, violent crimes, domestic violence, and fraud.
  • As a Staff Attorney for the Nevada Court of Appeals, worked on direct criminal appeals involving guilty pleas and jury trials, as well as appeals from postconviction proceedings.

Judicial Philosophy

  • Quagge describes his judicial philosophy as beginning with fidelity to the law and states that judges should apply the Constitution, statutes, and binding precedent without allowing personal preferences or desired outcomes to influence their decisions.
  • Emphasizes impartiality, judicial restraint, fairness, dignity, respect, and clearly explaining judicial decisions.
  • Supports individualized criminal sentencing that considers the circumstances and history of the defendant, harm to victims and the community, public safety, accountability, rehabilitation, and proportionality within the limits of the law.
  • Emphasizes access to justice and believes judges should ensure that individuals can meaningfully participate in court proceedings regardless of income, background, or whether they are represented by counsel.
  • States that courts should operate efficiently while ensuring that self-represented litigants are heard and courtroom procedures are understandable.
  • Emphasizes his experience on both sides of the criminal justice system as a prosecutor and defense counsel as providing a balanced understanding of courtroom proceedings.
  • Campaigns on his longstanding ties to Southern Nevada and describes his community, military, and public-service experience as informing his approach to the bench.
  • States that individuals who interact with the courts should be heard, have their questions answered, understand what occurred in their cases, and be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect.

Endorsements & Contributions

  • Quagge’s campaign website identifies support from members of the Southern Nevada legal community and lists the following law firms and legal organizations under “The Choice of Our Legal Community”:
    • Battle Born Injury Lawyers
    • Blackburn Wirth Injury Team
    • Carter Cullen
    • Christian Morris Trial Attorneys
    • Claggett & Sykes
    • Cogburn Davidson Injury Attorneys
    • David Boehrer Law Firm
    • De Castroverde Law Group
    • GGRM Law Firm
    • H&P Law
    • Henness & Haight Injury Law
    • Hicks & Brasier
    • Maier Gutierrez & Associates
    • Moss Berg Injury Lawyers
    • Naqvi Injury Law
    • Paul Powell Law Firm
    • Price & Beckstrom
    • The Cottner Firm
    • Valiente Mott Injury Attorneys
    • Draskovich Horvath
  • Specific campaign contribution amounts were not provided in the candidate questionnaire or résumé and should be separately verified through Nevada campaign-finance records.

Community Service

  • Nevada Army National Guard, Armor Officer, 2010–2016 and 2020–present.
  • Currently serves as a Major in the Nevada Army National Guard.
  • Has held multiple leadership positions within the Nevada Army National Guard, including Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Assistant Operations Officer, and Commander of B Troop, 1/221st Cavalry.
  • As Commander of B Troop, supervised the management, training, discipline, and morale of 94 soldiers.
  • Reports that mentoring, assisting, and developing soldiers is a central component of his military leadership.
  • Worked with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada on consumer protection matters while attending law school.
  • Has spent his legal career primarily in public service through the military and Nevada state and local government.