Municipal Court Judge, Dept. 1, City Of Las Vegas

• Attorney
  • Practice areas: Criminal law
  • Prior job titles: Senior deputy city attorney

“One of my greatest career accomplishments is the creation of the Psychiatric Stabilization and Treatment (PST) program,” Walker wrote. He began when he noticed the need for addressing mental health crises among incarcerated defendants. Without having any funding to support the creation of a program, he began reaching out to various stakeholders inside and outside the city to find out what resources existed that were being underutilized. He then built mutually beneficial partnerships with those stakeholders to facilitate the transfer of inmates from the jail to a secure psychiatric hospital where they would receive additional treatment. This model reduced detention costs to the city and risks to inmates and corrections officers by putting the mentally ill in a more therapeutic environment until they were in a better condition to return to court and address their cases. After several years of administering this program unfunded, he was able to work with the court to obtain dedicated funding based on the substantial results the program had demonstrated in reducing recidivism and reintegrating defendants back into the community. The PST program continues to help those in the court system with mental health needs.

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Walker said that being a municipal court judge was an amazing opportunity to make real and lasting change in the community and the lives of its members. He said he is running for retention so he can continue helping people and keeping the community safe.

He said maintaining impartiality and enforcing the law are foundational tenets of the judiciary and are critical requirements for any judge. In order for a judge to follow through with these duties, he or she must have a solid grasp of the laws and jurisprudence applicable to his or her jurisdiction, as well as an attentive and patient demeanor. This will ensure rulings that are rooted in the law and the facts presented. Within this context, judges should also work to ensure public safety and to improve the community they preside over, he said

• Endorsements: LVPPA, PFFN, CCPA, NPU, LVPOSA, LVPOA, LVPMSA, LEAF, POACCSD, PSAN, RPPA, CCSSA, SPPA, WCSPOA, WCSDA, DCSPA, PORAN
• Major donors: Mayor Shelley Berkley, Alex and Orlando Decastroverde, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, Robert Draskovich and Michael Horvath

He is currently serving on the Nevada Supreme Court Committee to Study Evidence-Based Pretrial Release.

Job title: Attorney, Law Office of Amanda Pellizzari Practice areas: Primarily criminal defense

Judge Pellizzari is the managing member of the Law Office of Amanda Pellizzari, primarily representing criminal defense clients. She said she is qualified to handle all criminal matters, including Category A felonies, appeals, habeas petitions and juvenile issues. She is a public attorney for Las Vegas Municipal Court, having served from 2011-2013 and again from 2024-present. She handles the court’s caseload for indigent defendants, representing clients for status checks, sentencing, negotiations, revocation hearings, motions and trials. Pellizzari has appeared for matters before the Veterans and Youth Offender courts. She also was managing member for Gregory & Waldo, representing primarily criminal defense clients, including defendants in federal court. Pellizzari applied to be appointed as judge in Dept. 1 of the Las Vegas Municipal Court in 2025 and was one of the top three finalists for the position.

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Pellizzari says she has a deep knowledge of the criminal justice system and credits her 18 years as a lawyer for providing courtroom experience in criminal, civil, federal and appellate law. She notes that she's served as an alternate judge for the same court for which she’s currently running. She also cites her community ties, having served as counsel for those in need through her work as a public attorney for the City of Las Vegas Municipal Court. She said she believes that if elected she could find another way to serve the City of Las Vegas.

Endorsements: Veterans in Politics International, Armed Forces Chamber, Nevada Veterans Association and Third Branch PAC. Major donors: Parviz A. Heshmati LTD of Las Vegas ($5,000) Eddie Nunez of San Bernardino, California ($2,594) John Creighton of Las Vegas ($3,600) Ofelia Markarian of Las Vegas ($2,500) Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim of Laguna Beach, California ($2,000) Her most recent contributions and expenses report to the Nevada secretary of state indicates she raised $54,977.20 and spent $15,987.13. Roughly 20 percent of her contributions come from 22 individuals with out-of-state addresses.

Pellizzari has served as public attorney for the City of Las Vegas Municipal Court, representing indigent clients.