Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Five months after reprimand, District Court judge says she’ll leave bench when term expires

Victor Fakoya testifies

Steve Marcus

Judge Valorie Vega presides over the trial of Victor Fakoya at the Regional Justice Center on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010.

A Clark County District judge who earlier this year was reprimanded by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline will not seek re-election.

District Judge Valorie J. Vega announced her decision Monday. She will finish out her current term, which expires in January 2015.

“After careful and thorough consideration, I determined that it was time to take on new personal and professional challenges,” Vega said in a statement issued by the Clark County District Court. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my 25-year tenure as a jurist, a position that allowed me to achieve my goal to serve the public.”

In February, Vega accepted the public reprimand and apologized to the judicial discipline commission for being discourteous to jurors, lawyers and court officials by keeping a jury deliberating all night at the end of a six-week murder trial.

Vega also admitted she recessed trial early on six occasions to attend her daughter’s high school soccer games.

Vega was appointed to the 8th Judicial District Court in March 1999 by then-Gov. Kenny Guinn. Since then, Vega had been retained and re-elected by voters in the 2000, 2002 and 2008 elections.

Before taking her current post, Vega served as a Las Vegas Municipal Court judge, Clark County deputy district attorney, a judicial law clerk and as the supervisor of court interpreters.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy