Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Hedger wins second term on Henderson Municipal Court bench

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Douglas Hedger

Henderson Municipal Court Judge Douglas Hedger won a second term on the bench by a wide margin in tonight’s Henderson Municipal Primary Election, handily defeating challenger Matthew Zobrist, 69.47 percent to 30.53 percent.

Hedger, who won his first six-year term in 2003, focused his campaign message on his judicial experience, which spans almost 20 years as a public defender and judge. He drew a sharp contrast between himself and Zobrist, a Henderson Police sergeant who passed the bar exam in 2007.

Zobrist embraced that contrast and argued that his practical experience as a police officer gave him a more intimate understanding of the law and its enforcement.

“I’m just thrilled with the outcome,” Hedger said. “I think the voters agreed that experience does matter for a judge. … We’ve seen recently where judges were elected without experience and bad things happened.”

Hedger said he plans to take a couple days of to recuperate then get back to work. He said he is particularly looking forward to continuing the development of his ABC Court program, which focuses on habitual offenders.

“We’re just getting to the point where it’s starting to make a difference,” he said.

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