District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Family Division, Dept. D

• Owner, Patricia A. Marr, LLC
  • Practice Areas:
  • Criminal: Defense, 15+ years. Firm site lists attempted murder, DV battery, burglary, kidnapping.
  • Civil (not incl. family): Civil litigation, bankruptcy; second chair in civil jury trials
  • Divorce, custody, juvenile, abuse and neglect, child support, guardianship, adoption, name change, TPOs

Appears in the Ninth Circuit, D. Nev., Bankruptcy Court, Nevada Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Eighth JDC, tribal courts, specialty courts

She cites two published decisions, Myers v. Haskins and Seput v. Lacayo, M.D., and claims a Nevada Supreme Court win in her first year of practice along with several writs of mandamus.

• “Where family matters most, experience matters more.”
• Best interests of the child. Stability, fair parenting arrangements, careful evidentiary review, accountability for parents who ignore orders.
• Efficiency, transparency, consistency, respect.
• Contrasts practical courtroom experience against a merely theoretical view of the bench.

• Major Donors:
  • 67% self-funded
  • Anthony Modarelli
  • Ofelia Markarian
• Endorsements:
  • Robert Eglet
  • Eglet Adams
  • Veterans In Politics International

• Works with veterans
• Supports families and children in crisis
• Provides community legal education

• She currently is the Chief Deputy District Attorney in the Juvenile Division. She has been working for the district attorney’s office for 13 years.
• Practice Areas: Prosecuted severe child abuse, neglect, and sexually exploited youth cases
• Prior Job Titles:
  • Post-Doctoral Research Specialist at University of California, San Francisco (2011-2012)
  • Post-Doctoral Clinical Psychology Fellow at University of California, San Francisco (2010-2011)
  • Pre-Doctoral Clinical Psychology Fellow at University of California, San Francisco (2009-2010)
  • Teaching Assistant at Golden Gate University, School of Law (2005-2007)
  • Research and Development Scientist at Procter & Gamble (2001-2003)

• She has co-authored and advocated for legislation (AB148 in the 2023 Nevada Legislature) that updates psychiatric safeguards for foster children in Nevada’s Court Improvement Program.
• She has a J.D. and a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology.
• She is the lead prosecutor that implements the Safe Babies Court Model, which serves young children in foster care.
• She is the lead child welfare prosecutor for youth with neurodevelopmental diagnoses in the child welfare system.

• She has gravitated towards cases with youth with high mental health needs.
• One case that sticks in her memory is a young man who developed schizophrenia in his teens. He was removed from his parents for abuse and neglect. During that case, his parents were deported. He had no one left to depend on and developed severe schizophrenia.
• As he got closer to turning 18 years old, she was worried about him exiting the foster system without support. She and other attorneys were able to find a specialized placement with a public guardian. It was a meaningful case for her because she prevented homelessness.

• Experience and expertise
  • She has a dual background in psychology and law. In her opinion, the best family law judges have three things: (1) knowledge of law and procedure, (2) temperament, and (3) knowledge of issues beyond the law that parents and children face.
  • She brings added expertise about what help parents need and interventions that are effective. Many families are coming to court on the worst day of their lives, so her added knowledge helps ease some of those feelings. Many family court judges are asked to adjudicate issues that go beyond the law (domestic violence and substance use).
• A career of service
  • Judges can affect the entire trajectory of a child’s life and impacts how they function as an adult.
  • Skilled, knowledgeable, and the judge needs to recognize the gravity of their position.
  • Being on the bench is the next step for her to take the knowledge and experience to make good, informed decisions for families that need help.

• Culinary Workers Union Local 226
• SEIU Local 1107
• Clark County Prosecutors Association
• Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers
• Laborers International Union of North America Local 872
• Nevada Police Union
• Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada
• District Attorney Steve Wolfson

• National Alliance of Mental Illness of Southern Nevada
  • Position: Board Member
• Behavioral Health Subcommittee, Nevada Children's Commission
  • Position: Chair
• San Francisco Juvenile Justice Commission
  • Position: Vice Chair