Brown ends 27-year career as Municipal Court judge

Greg Tuttle

Thursday, June 8, 2000 | 10:33 a.m.

A colorful chapter in the judicial history of Las Vegas has come to an end.

Judge Seymore Brown, whose nearly 27 years on the bench has been marked with a mix of innovation and controversy, has retired.

The announcement was made Wednesday during a Las Vegas City Council meeting in which the Municipal Court's chief judge was praised by Mayor Oscar Goodman as a "living legend."

Brown, 70, has been on a medical leave of absence for about two months and did not attend the ceremony marking his retirement. His daughter, Gina Brown, said the family has decided not to discuss the illness that ended Brown's 40-year career in public service.

"The biggest decision my father has had to make in the last year was to retire, and it was because of health reasons," said Gina Brown, who attended the retirement announcement on behalf of her father. "He's closing a chapter in his life in order to open a new chapter."

The retiring judge was not available for comment.

For those who worked most closely with Brown, the announcement was followed by emotional testimony of a sometimes surly, but just as often generous judge. The only judge in the state who was not a lawyer, Brown was first elected to the bench in 1973 after working as an officer at the Las Vegas Police Department for 14 years.

"This is such an emotional day for me," said Brown's senior executive assistant, Pat Micali. "He's the kindest man with a great sense of humor. He could be very stern, but there's nothing he wouldn't do for everyone.

"He's a legend, and he's going to be missed by a lot of people," she said.

Municipal Judge Toy Gregory worked beside Brown for 17 years. He described his fellow jurist as "fair and good" and praised his judicial innovations.

Brown is credited with creating closed-circuit television preliminary appearances that have saved thousands of tax dollars every year. He also was among the first justices nationwide to put computers to work in the courtroom.

"He came up with things that have been adopted worldwide," Gregory said.

Brown received several awards and recognition throughout his career, and last year was honored for 40 years of public service. In 1990 he was voted Judge of the Year by the Nevada Judges Association and was recognized in 1994 by a national judges association.

Brown's judicial career was hit with controversy in the late 1970s when allegations of ticket-fixing and improper use of public funds surfaced. But none of the allegations forced him out of office, and voters always sided with Brown.

The City Council will appoint a replacement June 21. The new judge must run for election next year.