Miller names Voy to Family Court job

Bill Gang

Friday, May 1, 1998 | 9:55 a.m.

Las Vegas attorney William Voy has been appointed by Gov. Bob Miller to the Family Court Department A seat vacated earlier this year by Terrance Marren.

He takes the bench May 11.

Voy, 38, was picked from three candidates given to Miller by the State Judicial Selection Commission, which pared down a list of eight applicants for the job that Marren left to become the city attorney for Mesquite.

Marren's term was set to expire at the end of 1998, and Voy will have to begin campaigning immediately to retain the bench in November's election.

Although the Family Court has been criticized by litigants, lawyers and the media, Voy said he sought the job because "it's the most important court we have. It's where most average citizens are likely to appear.

"And it's a challenge. It's a difficult job for judges because they have to deal with emotional issues. It's not about contractual disputes and exchanging money doesn't solve problems."

This won't be Voy's first time sitting in a black robe in court. He has been a part-time justice of the peace since 1995, sitting for judges who are ill or on vacation. He also has spent two days a week for months as a hearing officer deciding whether people alleged to have mental problems should be involuntarily hospitalized.

"I have felt a desire to be a judge," he said. "I feel it is what I do best and I'm looking forward to doing it full time."

Voy, a lawyer since 1986, has practiced in Family Court and believes he can work with existing judges.

While he doesn't characterize himself as a reformer, he said he would work to expedite cases and urge litigants to agree on solutions rather than have a judge dictate the resolution.

Voy, a graduate of Willamette University School of Law in Salem, Ore., is divorced and the father of a 13-year-old daughter. He began practicing law in Las Vegas after working for three years as a lawyer in the U.S. Army.