Federal public defender nominated for Nevada judgeship

By Karoun Demirjian

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014 | 12:22 p.m.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is nominating federal Public Defender Richard Boulware to fill Nevada’s last open seat on the federal bench, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced today.

“Richard Boulware is the epitome of what a federal judge should be,” Reid said. “He will bring to the bench stellar educational credentials and significant jury trial experience...I was proud to give Boulware my highest recommendation to President Obama.”

If confirmed, Boulware, who is originally from Las Vegas, would be the first African-American man to serve on the federal bench in Nevada. He next will be considered before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Boulware, 45, studied at Harvard and received his law degree from Columbia in 2002.

He worked as a clerk for the Southern District of New York and a trial attorney for the Federal Defenders of New York before joining the Nevada federal Public Defender’s Office in 2007. He specializes in large and complex white-collar criminal cases.

Boulware also has served as the president of the Las Vegas chapter of the National Bar Association and vice president of the Las Vegas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

He was awarded a Medal of Justice award from the Nevada bar in 2012 and has practiced before the Ninth District Court of Appeals.

Boulware will have the support of both of Nevada’s senators when his nomination comes up for confirmation.

Reid originally recommended Boulware to Obama as a nominee, and Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said in a statement today that he found Boulware to be “extremely impressive” and an “excellent choice” for the position.