State to get another fed judge

Jace Radke

Friday, Dec. 22, 2000 | 10:36 a.m.

A new federal judgship for Nevada, approved Thursday by President Clinton as part of an omnibus spending bill, will give the state a total of nine judges to handle the workload of one of the nation's busiest courts.

Senior Judge Lloyd George said the addition of a new judge will ease caseloads.

"The new position will help us a great deal," George said. "I think it is important to serve the district and the people, and the added judge will help us do that better by lightening the workload."

The new federal post is the third to be set aside for Nevada this year, with Judges Kent Dawson and Roger Hunt confirmed as U.S. District Court judges in May.

Dawson and Hunt joined judges Philip Pro, David Hagen, Johnnie Rawlinson, Nevada Chief Judge Howard McKibben and senior judges Edward Reed and George.

Rawlinson has since been confirmed as a member of the the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and a replacement for the U.S. District Court bench will have to be chosen. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., had recommended Las Vegas-based federal bankruptcy Judge Linda Riegle to replace Rawlinson, but the Senate didn't act.

Because President-elect George W. Bush is a Republican the privilege of recommending judge nominees now goes to Senator-elect John Ensign, R-Nev.

Ensign has said he will work with Reid on picking judges, but the ultimate decision on recommendations for both Rawlinson's replacement and the new judgship will be his.

Reid says he'd like to see both spots on the District Court bench filled as quickly as possible.

"There is no question that Nevada needs this new U.S. District Court position, and I look forward to working with Senator-elect John Ensign to see that it is filled quickly and by the most qualified candidate for the job," Reid said. "The addition of a new seat to Nevada's federal bench will help cut the waiting time for those seeking justice. Our federal courts in Nevada are already facing a backlog, so it is imperative that the consideration process begin immediately."

Both Hunt and Dawson were recommended by Reid to President Clinton, and George says that Nevada's federal courts are indebted to Sen. Reid.

"He's really been a miracle worker for us," George said.

"When Judge McKibben and I started (in 1984) this was, if not the busiest, the second busiest district in the nation. We kept fairly current back then, but it was with the help of a lot of six- and seven-day weeks."

In 1984 the cases were split between just four judges, instead of the soon-to-be seven and two senior judges.