Assembly passes measure mandating JPs be lawyers

Tuesday, March 9, 1999 | 11:25 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- By a vote of 29-12, the Assembly has passed and sent to the Senate a bill requiring that justices of the peace in Henderson and North Las Vegas be lawyers.

Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, led the opposition to the bill, saying voters ought to select somebody with "common sense" for the post, not somebody just because they attended law school. He said there were very few lawyers in North Las Vegas and the public should have "the right to choose."

Collins tried to offer an amendment to exclude North Las Vegas from the proposed requirement Monday but was defeated on a voice vote.

Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said attorney JPs are required in Reno, Las Vegas and Clark County. Henderson and North Las Vegas are in line for an additional JP because of their growing populations. There is an increasing volume of cases and the citizens, backers say, would be better served by someone who is a licensed attorney.

Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, a Henderson Police captain, also supported the bill, saying matters are getting more complicated than they were 10 to 15 years ago. The JPs, he said, must make more difficult decisions in a shorter time.

"A lot of damage can be accomplished in six years," Perkins said, referring to the length of a JP's term.