Election 2002: Family Court I

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002 | 12:13 p.m.

An incumbent and a family law attorney face off for the seat in Family Court's Department I in what has become a heated rematch of the 2000 election.

To unseat Family Court Judge Cheryl Moss, Phil Beuth has dispersed fliers telling voters to "Toss Moss."

Beuth, 47, cites the biennial "Judging the Judges" survey by the Clark County Bar Association and Las Vegas Review-Journal that ranks Moss in the bottom five of 11 Family Court judges. The survey measures fairness, legal ability and work productivity.

"I'm not saying she's a bad judge," Beuth said. "One-hundred fifty to 160 attorneys that appear in front of her every day say she's a bad judge."

Beuth, a family lawyer for eight years, says his experience as a father, stepfather and grandfather allows him to understand family issues.

"All I'm asking the public to do is take a look at the facts," Beuth said. "If you think this type of performance should be rewarded, re-elect her. If not, don't."

But Moss, 35, said Beuth is skewing the survey's results. She said she had been a judge for only 14 months when the survey was taken.

"I'm going to ignore (Beuth's) dirty campaign tactics," Moss said. "I'm not going to stoop to that level. I promised from Day One in 2000 that I would run on my qualifications and my accomplishments on the bench."

Moss said she is proud to be the first Asian-American judge elected in Nevada. She serves on night court, 24-hour temporary protective order duty in domestic violence cases and the county's Trial by Peers program.