LV municipal judges want terms changed to six years

Erin Neff

Friday, Feb. 9, 2001 | 9:30 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Several Las Vegas Municipal Court judges asked legislators Thursday to extend their terms in office from four years to six.

Citing massive caseloads and discrepancy between their terms of office and those of other judges statewide, the judges asked the Assembly to amend the city's charter to allow the change.

District Court judges, Supreme Court justices and justices of the peace all have six-year terms.

"Judges should be in the political arena as little as possible," said Judge Michelle Leavitt Fitzpatrick after her testimony Thursday morning.

She said extending the term length will enable the six Municipal Court judges to concentrate less on campaigns and fund-raising and more on the mounting caseloads.

A recent judicial report showed exactly how busy the city court has become. Last year the court handled 69 percent of all criminal matters and 62 percent of all traffic cases statewide.

Fitzpatrick had 26,000 appearances before her Department 3 bench last year. Judges Cedric Kerns and Bert Brown testified from Las Vegas via teleconference.

But some legislators expressed concern that extending the judges' terms could make it more difficult to get rid of a bad judge.

Fitzpatrick said the state's Judicial Discipline Commission and ethics proceedings can be used if the public believes a judge's actions are illegal or improper.

The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman John Lee, D-Las Vegas, was referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.