Douglas will replace Porter as chief judge

Jace Radke

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2003 | 9:19 a.m.

District Judge Michael Douglas will take over as chief judge for outgoing District Judge Gene Porter.

Douglas, who had severed as Porter's assistant chief, was chosen by his fellow judges Wednesday to replace Porter, who is moving on to a private law practice.

Douglas was appointed to the bench by Gov. Bob Miller in 1995, and has since been re-elected twice, most recently in 2002.

Douglas is a 1974 graduate of the University of California Hastings College of Law, and was a lawyer in Philadelphia and with the Clark County District Attorney's Office before becoming a judge.

In September Porter announced that he would resign his position effective Oct. 24, despite his elected term not ending until 2008. Gov. Kenny Guinn will name a replacement to fill Porter's position until his term expires. The job pays $130,000 a year.

Porter said he plans to start the law firm of Porter & Schimmel, with his longtime friend, Los Angeles attorney Alan Schimmel. The new firm will have offices in Las Vegas and Los Angeles and will focus on government affairs and business law.

Porter was also appointed to the bench by Miller in 1995 and was re-elected in 1996 and 2002. During his tenure on the bench Porter worked to help establish the Business Court, obtain funding for Mental and Drug courts and revise case management procedures.

Porter presided over the Civil Court Division from 1998 to 2001 and after that served as a Business Court judge. he is also an adjunct law professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Porter served four terms in the Nevada Legislature, including two terms as majority leader of the state Assembly.