Friday, April 3, 1998 | 9:58 a.m.
The full U.S. Senate late Thursday night confirmed Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Johnnie Rawlinson as a federal judge.
Rawlinson will now become not only the state's first woman federal judge, but also Nevada's first black person appointed to the lifetime U.S. District Court post.
The Senate confirmed Rawlinson, 45, on a voice vote just before leaving town for a three-week recess. Had the Senate not confirmed her Thursday, she likely wouldn't have been confirmed until next month.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., recommended Rawlinson in August. President Clinton nominated her in January to replace Chief Judge Lloyd George in Las Vegas, who has taken senior status.
"Johnnie Rawlinson was an outstanding nominee and will make an outstanding judge," Reid said.
"In a year when the confirmations have taken as long as 32 months and are averaging more than 300 days from start to finish she is the third fastest-moving nominee and the fastest-moving district court judge."
But Rawlinson faced no opposition and her supporters, Sens. Reid and Richard Bryan, also D-Nev., were able to shepherd her nomination quickly through the Senate, from a committee hearing to confirmation in two weeks.
"Naturally, I'm elated. It was a very pleasant surprise," Rawlinson said of the speedy process. She credited Reid and Bryan for their support, as well the support of George.
Reid initially proposed U.S. Attorney Kathryn Landreth for the judgeship, but Landreth withdrew her name from consideration a few months later, saying she had personal reasons and also was concerned about the lengthy wait anticipated.
Rawlinson said she expects to leave the prosecutor's office within 60 days to assume her new position. She learned of the Senate confirmation by a phone call from Reid late Thursday, leaving her stunned.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she told Reid. "I was virtually speechless.'
The confirmation completes Rawlinson's journey from a background of poverty to the pinnacle of a legal career.
Born and raised in North Carolina, Rawlinson was the youngest of seven children. She earned a degree in psychology from North Carolina A&T. She earned a law degree from McGeorge School of Law in California.
No blacks had ever been appointed to the federal bench in Nevada, including magistrates or bankruptcy judges. But Rawlinson downplayed that issue.
"I don't really see it as a personal trophy," she said of her history-making nomination. "I just see it as an opportunity to be a message to the entire world that if you work hard you can realize your dreams."
She has been a Clark County deputy district attorney since 1980. Rawlinson describes herself as a moderate who holds mainstream American beliefs. In 1991, she was a finalist for a federal magistrate's job.
Her confirmation came just 65 days after she was formally nominated by the White House, prompting Reid to say: "This is a testimony to her qualifications and her impressive record of accomplishments."
Since the Senate returned in late January, however, the White House has quietly acknowledged that Senate Republicans are moving Clinton nominees much more quickly through the hearing and confirmation process.
"Johnnie Rawlinson is an American success story," Bryan said. "What has happened in her life can only happen in America."
Rawlinson is married to Dwight Rawlinson, the city of North Las Vegas' purchasing and risk manager. They have three children.
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