Nevada Supreme Court incumbent a heavy favorite

Kim Smith

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2000 | 10:53 a.m.

In September Ely attorney Gary Backus earned 16 percent of the votes cast in the race for a Nevada Supreme Court judgeship. He's hoping for a miracle on Nov. 7.

Backus is running against incumbent Nancy Becker, the hands-down favorite for the spot. She earned 65 percent of the votes during the primary election.

Since the primary Backus said he has been talking to as many people as possible about the upcoming race. However, he said, he has been severely crippled by a lack of funds.

Becker had raised more than $160,000 in campaign contributions by the primary. Backus said he was given a $50 check by friends but that he refused to cash it.

Backus said that most of Becker's money comes from special-interest groups, which he finds abhorrent.

People should vote for him because he has more experience than Becker, Backus said.

Backus said the Supreme Court needs to be more efficient and should have more representation from the rural counties. The bench is now made up of too many judges from Clark and Washoe counties, he said.

Backus, 58, received his law degree from the University of Idaho School of Law and has been a Nevada lawyer since 1972. He practiced law in Reno for 14 years and served as the Eureka County district attorney before moving to Ely in 1993.

"I had 14 years as a trial lawyer when she got out of law school," Backus said.

Becker, 45, was first elected to the bench two years ago during an unopposed race. Prior to that she spent 14 years as a Clark County District Court judge and a Municipal Court judge.

In addition to her experience as a judge, Becker said she has been active in a variety of community projects and committees. She also spent 10 years as president of the Pro Bono Project, a program for indigent defendants.

Becker said the Supreme Court has reduced the number of pending cases from 2,400 to 1,800 over the past couple of years.

She said she is dedicated to making impartial decisions and keeping the courts accessible to the citizens of Nevada.