Three finalists’ names have been sent to Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo as potential replacements for the department Y seat in Family Division of the Eighth Judicial District Court bench.
- Paul Gaudet
- Nicholas Petsas
- Adriana White
The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection conducted public interviews of all qualified applicants. On January 24, the three finalists’ names were sent to the governor for consideration to fill the department Y vacancy. The governor is given 30 days to make the appointment.
Judicial applicants are required to meet qualifications including:
- Be a bona fide resident of the State of Nevada for two years;
- Be a qualified elector pursuant to Section 1 of Article 2 of the Constitution of the State of Nevada;
- Be 25 years of age; and
- Be an attorney licensed and admitted to practice law in the courts in the State of Nevada, another state, or District of Columbia for not less than 10 years at any time preceding the appointment, at least two years of which have been in Nevada.
The appointment to fill the vacancy is for a term until the next general election. If the predecessor’s term is not expiring that election cycle, the appointed judge must win the election to the court to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. The current term for all district court judges in Nevada expires January 4, 2027.
The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection is a judicial body created pursuant to Article 6, Section 20 of the Nevada State Constitution, and governed by Nevada Revised Statutes 1.380 through 1.410. The Commission on Judicial Selection is charged with filling judicial vacancies that occur before expiration of a term of office in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, or District Court. The Commission is charged with selecting three candidates for the governor’s review and appointment to fill those judicial vacancies.