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Ceremonial Robing And Oath To Take Place With Covid-19 Safety Measures In Place

In the recent election, 22 new judges were elected to serve in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada. The fourth of several specially coordinated investitures is scheduled for February 26 at 3 p.m. The investitures for Judge Carli Kierny, department 2; Judge Monica Trujillo, department 3; Judge Jasmin Lilly-Spells, department 23 and Judge Stephanie Charter, Department Y will be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/clarkcountycourts.

Investitures are formal ceremonies with significant symbolism. The judges will publicly swear an oath to uphold justice, prior to being ceremonially robed. The ceremonies are usually done before a big gathering of family, friends and supporters. This year, the investitures will include coronavirus safety measures with just a few observers to reduce the potential for spread of the coronavirus.

“The District Court bench is welcoming 22 new judges during a time of unprecedented challenges due to the coronavirus. The investitures celebrate the arrival of the biggest and most diverse group of new judges to join the court at one time,” said District Court Chief Judge Linda Marie Bell. “We look forward to the contributions that each of these new judges will bring to the court.”

Prior to taking the bench in department 2 of District Court, Judge Carli Kierny spent the last 10 years with the Clark County Public Defender’s Office, including five years on the sexual assault team. She served as the public defender representative on the countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee dedicated to improving probation outcomes. She began her legal career as a public defender in Champaign County, trying dozens of misdemeanor and felony cases. She also served as a volunteer with the SafeNest PS 417 program to provide resources to prevent lethal domestic violence incidents. As a law student, she tried several cases as a clerk with the Cook County Homicide Task Force and worked on the exoneration of a man who was wrongfully convicted as a student with the Chicago-Kent Law Clinic. Judge Kierny received a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a juris doctor degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Prior to taking the bench in department 3 of District Court, Judge Monica Trujillo worked for the Clark County Public Defender’s Office. As a practicing attorney in that office, she represented indigent clients charged with misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors and felonies through all phases of the criminal justice process. In February of 2013, she transferred to the Clark County Special Public Defender’s Office, with a focus on capital and non-capital murder cases. She attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduation, Judge Trujillo received her juris doctor from American University, Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. During law school, she participated in the Latino Law Students Association and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta, Mock Trial Honor Society and the Criminal Law Society.

Prior to taking the bench in department 23, Judge Jasmin Lilly-Spells served Clark County Public Defender’s office for over a decade and was named chief deputy public defender. Judge Lilly-Spells volunteered as a court appointed special advocate (CASA) and as a mediator at the Neighborhood Justice Center. She served as a mentor to middle school girls and organized reading programs at at-risk schools. She volunteered with Nevada Legal Services handling pro bono cases. She also worked as a parking arbitrator. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine. Judge Lilly-Spells received her juris doctor from the University of Nevada Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law.

Judge Stephanie Charter, who presides over dependency cases in the Family Division, Department Y, started her career as an attorney as a civil litigator in 1991 in Orange County, California, before relocating to Las Vegas in 1994. Judge Charter took a case pro bono for the then new Children’s Attorneys Project (CAP) at Clark County Legal Services (now Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada) and went on to join CAP as one of their first staff attorneys dedicated to representing child victims of abuse and neglect. While with CAP, she founded the Nevada Chapter of the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) and spoke at the NACC’s annual conventions in Las Vegas and Savannah, Georgia, on topics related to best practices for representation of youth. Judge Charter also worked as a Deputy District Attorney in dependency at the Clark County and Washoe County District Attorney’s offices. In addition, she worked as a family law practitioner in St. George, Utah, where she was on the Board for the Dove Center and also volunteered with the Erin Kimball Foundation both of which are dedicated to serving victims of domestic violence. In Clark County, Judge Charter has been a long-time volunteer judge with the Truancy Diversion Program (TDP). While in Washoe County, Judge Charter helped to co-found TDP in conjunction with the Washoe County School District. She also served as Chairperson for the Student Attendance Advisory Board.  Judge Charter graduated from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska, where she was a member of the International Moot Court Board.  She is admitted to the Nevada, Utah, California, and Arizona state bars.

They join the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada bench, comprised of 58 judges who preside over nearly 100,000 criminal, civil and family cases that are filed each year. District Court judges and staff continuously work to develop new ideas, maximize efficiencies and improve access to justice. For more information about the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court, please visit our website at clarkcountycourts.us, Facebook facebook.com/NV8thJDCourt, Twitter at https://twitter.com/Nv8thC

or blog at https://eighthjdcourt.wordpress.com.

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