Chief justice runs for re-election

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2000 | 10:44 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Chief Justice Bob Rose, a member of the Nevada Supreme Court during some of its stormiest years, announced today he would seek a third six-year term.

Rose has a long political history serving as Democratic state party chairman, district attorney of Washoe County, lieutenant governor and District Court judge in Las Vegas. He was elected in 1988 to the Supreme Court.

He has lost only one election -- for governor to Republican Robert List in 1978 by 31,736 votes.

In his present two-year term as chief justice, he has presided over the expansion of the court from five to seven members and the subsequent splitting into three-member panels to hear most cases. Rose boasted the new system has reduced the backlog of cases.

"Most criminal cases appealed to the Supreme Court are now decided in less than one year," he said.

Rose, 60, noted the high court last year ordered all courts to install a uniform and reliable system of record keeping and has directed a chief judge system be used in Clark and Washoe counties to see that all judges "are pulling their weight and the cases are distributed evenly."

In announcing his re-election bid, Rose said he would seek a rule to have the courts speed up the handling of senior citizens' cases.

"For too long, older Nevadans have been the targets of crime ranging from physical violence to fraud," he said. "It is unacceptable that seniors should then suffer further by having to wait through delays in the legal system."

During his career, Rose has been embroiled in his share of controversy. As lieutenant governor, he employed a little-used tactic as president of the Senate in 1977 to cast the deciding vote and gain passage of the hotly contested Equal Rights Amendment. The amendment died in the Assembly.

Rose was chief justice in 1993 during the early days of the contentious battle over Washoe District Judge Jerry Whitehead -- a case that divided the court and attracted national attention.

Early in the case, Rose was investigated on allegations that he tried to use his influence to get drug charges dropped against the brother of one his former law clerks.

Rose was cleared of wrongdoing, but the investigation prompted a challenge that was settled only when Rose disqualified himself from the case.

In his two elections to the Supreme Court, Rose faced Myron Leavitt, then a District Court judge in Las Vegas. The races turned into bitter name-calling contests. When the court was expanded, Leavitt was elected and now serves with Rose.