Department XX

Eric Johnson

Office – (702) 671-4440

Fax – (702) 671-4439

Law Clerk – (702) 671-4437

Email – Dept20lc@clarkcountycourts.us

Location – RJC Courtroom 12A

Regional Justice Center
200 Lewis Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89155

Eric Johnson

Department XX

Eighth Judicial District Court

Term of Office 2015 – present

Hon. Eric Johnson is District Judge for the Eighth Judicial District Court, Department XX, in Las Vegas, Nevada, handling both criminal and civil matters.  Governor Brian Sandoval appointed him as a judge in May 2015.  Prior to his appointment, Judge Johnson joined the United States Department of Justice in 1983 through the Attorney General’s Employment Program for Honor Law Graduates and prosecuted cases involving domestic and international organized crime, RICO, violent crime, fraud, narcotics, money laundering and forfeiture.  Judge Johnson was a Special Attorney with the United States Department Justice, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, and an Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, serving 10 years as Chief of the Office’s Organized Crime Strike Force and then two years as Chief of the of the Office’s Criminal Division.  He was twice honored with the Department of Justice’s Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and received commendations from the Tokyo (Japan) Public Prosecutor’s Office and Ministry of Public Safety, People’s Republic of China, for his work with multi-million dollar international money laundering and forfeiture prosecutions.  Judge Johnson has been a past presenter at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center and for its Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training and at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Bangkok, Thailand. He is a member of the State Bar of Nevada and the Kansas Bar Association.  Judge Johnson earned his B.S. in Education degree from Emporia State University and his J.D. degree from the University of Kansas School of Law where he was a member of the law review and Order of the Coif.

Courtroom Protocol

No weapons are allowed. There is no eating, drinking, smoking or chewing gum in any courtroom.

Proper courtroom attire is required. No shorts or tank tops are allowed in the courtroom, shoes are required. T-shirts, which show offensive slogans or pictures, are not allowed. Hats should be removed before entering the courtroom.

While in the courtroom, sit quietly when court is in session. Do not talk or whisper. The court proceedings are being recorded by a court recorder and noise can interfere with the preparation of this important record.

All beepers, cellular telephones, and electronic devices must be turned off before entering the courtroom. Avoid reading newspapers, or books in the courtrooms, particularly if your use of such material may be a distraction to others.

Attorneys are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards at all times, and to strictly adhere to the opportunities, requirements, limitations, and deadlines set by the judge. All counsel are to be punctual for all conferences, hearings and trials. They are to be civil to one another as well as to all parties, witnesses, and court personnel – whether in front of a jury or the court.

Documents

Audio.Video.doc
DC20 Exhibit-List.doc
Exhibit Guidelines.doc
HANDOUT for Counsel.doc
Transcript Order Form

 

Current Assignment

  • Department XX is currently assigned Civil Court and Criminal Court Dockets.

Motion calendar schedule

  • Department XX hears Civil matters on Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. Criminal matters are heard on Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 12A of the Regional Justice Center.

Other regularly scheduled court sessions

  • None

Regular chambers calendar

  • Department XX does not have a regular chambers calendar. All matters are required to be set on the Department’s regular motion calendar. However, after review of the briefs submitted by the parties, in appropriate cases the Judge may issue a written order in advance of the hearing date and vacate the hearing.

Discovery Commissioner assigned

  • Commissioner Erin Truman

Court Reporter Recorder for the Court´s Official Record

Requests for Appearances via Zoom

  • Department 20 does not have a re-occurring Zoom link, please contact the department for the link.

Unopposed motions

  • Department XX may grant unopposed motions in advance of the hearing date. The Law Clerk will contact counsel if the motion is granted and whether or not counsel is required to appear.

Motions considered without oral argument

  • Counsel are encouraged to submit written briefs that thoroughly address all issues and arguments related to each motion and include all exhibits, affidavits, and evidence that they deem relevant to the disposition of the matter. In appropriate cases, generally involving non-dispositive motions, the Court may, after reviewing the pleadings and materials submitted by the parties, deem that oral argument would not be necessary or helpful to the disposition of the matter and may instead decide the matter based upon the written submissions. In those cases, the Court will issue a written order which will be transmitted to the parties in advance of the hearing date.

Courtesy Copies

  • Pursuant to EDCR 7.26(d) parties are requested to deliver courtesy copies (hard copies) of all motions and responsive pleadings to chambers. If all exhibits to a brief have been submitted to Odyssey, the parties should not provide a copy of the exhibits to chambers. However, if a party believes that certain of their exhibits would be helpful to the Court, the party may attach up to 100 pages of exhibits to their courtesy copy.

Default judgment prove-ups

  • Prove-up hearings are required when: 1) The claim is for personal injuries; 2) The total damages sought are in excess of $100,000; 3) The claim is in regard to title of real property; and 4) anytime punitive damages are sought.
  • Prove-up hearings must be set on the Department´s regular motion calendar through the Master Calendar. Live testimony is required at the prove-up hearing.

Submission of Orders

  • Department XX requires proposed orders to be submitted to chambers within ten (10) days of notification of the ruling, pursuant to EDCR 7.21. Counsel designated to prepare the order is not required to provide a draft to opposing counsel(s) prior to submission unless so ordered by the Court. Disputes may be resolved by placing the matter on the Department’s regular motion calendar for clarification from the Court. In appropriate cases (and most frequently in connection with dispositive motions such as motions seeking dismissal or summary judgment), the Court may draft and file its own order instead of signing an order submitted by one of the parties.

Contested Orders

  • In District Court Department XX, Contested Orders are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Electronic Signatures

  • In District Court Department XX will accept electronic signatures on any document.

Jury selection

  • Department XX uses the “Modified Arizona Method” of jury selection, requiring voir dire to be directed toward the minimum number of jurors necessary to be qualified, rather than the entire venire.

Jury Instructions

  • All parties are to submit an electronic word version (via e-mail to the JEA and law clerk) of uncontested jury instructions the day before trial is to begin. Contested jury instructions, as well as an explanation as to why the parties disagree, are to also be digitally submitted in a separate document the day before trial. Should the resolution of any proposed instructions depend upon the evidence or testimony being presented at trial, the settling of those instructions can be deferred until after the close of evidence, but otherwise the Court prefers to settle the instructions expeditiously so as to minimize inconvenience to the jurors.

Verdict Forms

  • All parties are to submit an electronic word version (via e-mail to the JEA and law clerk) of the verdict form the day before trial is to begin.

Discovery Motions

  • If Defendant or the State of Nevada believes they are entitled to discovery which a party has not provided, counsel for the parties shall meet and in good faith confer regarding their discovery disputes. If disputes still remain, a party may then file a discovery motion with the Court including an affidavit of counsel stating when and where the parties met and conferred and specific nature of the discovery remaining in dispute. The Court will then consider the party’s motion and points and authorities related to the specific discovery issue.Motions for Production of Discovery, or similar requests, will be taken off calendar unless there is an indication the parties have met and conferred concerning the specific discovery requests. This Court requires parties in making discovery motions to include an affidavit of counsel verifying the parties met and conferred regarding discovery and identifying the specific issues which remain unresolved.

Motions to Withdraw as Counsel in Criminal Cases

  • In a criminal case, if Counsel seeks to withdraw from the case due to financial issues, they must move to do so at least sixty (60) days before the trial date.