Matt Pordum

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Story Archive

Court seeking state-county partnership to conduct mental tests: Wednesday, May 24, 2006; District Judge Jackie Glass isn't asking for any special treatment. Instead, she is simply seeking the same treatment District Court in Washoe County has received from the state Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services since 1999.
DA finds himself in a race: Friday, May 19, 2006; Is anyone going to run against District Attorney David Roger?
Court recordings come under fire: Wednesday, May 10, 2006; Most prosecutors would drool over the chance to have recordings of what defendants and their attorneys talk about.
Phone system to help traffic violators pay faster: Wednesday, May 3, 2006; The system, which allows people to make full or partial payments or schedule a new court date, is expected to ease congestion that has frustrated people trying to take care of their traffic tickets.
Court : Sex case must be public: Friday, April 28, 2006; The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a state panel must conduct its proceedings in public when it determines whether a sex offender poses a high risk of recidivism.
Judges' support less than stated: Thursday, April 27, 2006; Chief District Judge Kathy Hardcastle, who wants control of the Clark County clerk's court responsibilities, doesn't have as much support from judges as she has said.
Lethal injection: Is it cruel?: Tuesday, April 25, 2006; Barring a last-minute appeal, an IV will drip lethal drugs into Daryl Mack's veins on Wednesday, and if doctors' estimates prove true, he will die about 90 seconds later - punishment for sexually assaulting and strangling a 55-year-old Reno woman in 1988.
Mental health court helps man turn life around: Thursday, April 20, 2006; The 48-year-old is a diagnosed bipolar schizophrenic who, for at least the last 12 years, has only casually taken his medication between a series of short-lived jobs and cocaine binges.
566670833.html: Thursday, April 20, 2006; Terry Louis has lived a life of drugs, crime and mental illness.
Nevada judges do well when cases are reviewed Nevada: Wednesday, April 19, 2006; Forty-three of Nevada's 60 District Court judges were overturned at least once between January 2003 and last August, a period studied by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign journalism class.
Appeals court ruling on homeless sparks local debate: Tuesday, April 18, 2006; City officials and defense attorneys disagree over the meaning of a ruling Friday by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on arrests of homeless people. The court cited a Las Vegas ordinance as an example of finding "ways to avoid criminalizing the status of homelessness."
Judge denies allegations by Galardi: Saturday, April 15, 2006; While Saitta is weighing a run against Justice Nancy Becker this November, she has had to contend with news of FBI reports that have Galardi suggesting that competing strip club owner Rick Rizzolo provided her with cash in exchange for beneficial court rulings.
Immigration-law provision could affect all business owners: Thursday, April 13, 2006; All of the nation's 8.4 million employers would be required to electronically send the names and Social Security numbers of their employees over the Internet to be checked against two government databases.
ACLU director has beef with immigration proposals: Wednesday, April 12, 2006; Gary Peck, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada, said the proposals being debated in Congress could expand what he views as already flawed policies that "are closing the door of the courts and justice for illegal immigrants."
Prosecutors rap ruling in Hells Angels case: Wednesday, April 5, 2006; The court shot down an indictment in which prosecutors argued that the Hells Angels and Mongols who fought at Harrah's Laughlin in 2003 were all liable for the three deaths that resulted.
Court's ruling on search of apartment is challenged: Sunday, April 2, 2006; Metro Police, though, never obtained a warrant and never asked him if they could search his apartment.
Lawyer: Statements illegal: Friday, March 31, 2006; In a taped conversation, Craig Titus told Metro Police that his assistant, 28-year-old Melissa James, died of a drug overdose. Then he said he and his wife, Kelly Ryan, panicked.
Three names considered to replace Judge McGroarty: Thursday, March 30, 2006; The Commission on Judicial Selection forwarded three names - Tim Williams, 50; Susan Johnson, 46; and D. Lanny Waite, 54 - to Gov. Kenny Guinn as its recommendations to fill the seat vacant because of the retirement of District Judge John McGroarty. The new judge will preside over civil cases.
Patriot Act's fast-tracking of death penalty cases draws criticism: Monday, March 27, 2006; The act, signed into law this month, allows states to ask the U.S. attorney general for so-called fast-track reviews of federal habeas corpus petitions - the last appeal of a death row inmate.
First settlement reached over rock attack in 311 Boyz case: Wednesday, March 22, 2006; The civil suit was filed by teenager Stephen Tanner Hansen and two friends who were with him after they tried to leave a party at a Summerlin house in 2003. Someone trying to stop them threw a rock through the windshield of the car the teens were in, hitting Hansen and disfiguring him.
Knives find their way through court security: Friday, March 17, 2006; In the last month two people have taken knives through the X-ray checkpoints at the new Regional Justice Center, raising questions about safety in the courthouse.
Court should get a slowing ticket: Thursday, March 16, 2006; As if it wasn't bad enough to get a traffic ticket, people trying to take care of them in Las Vegas Justice Court may have an additional headache.
DUI court suggested as replacement for suspended program: Thursday, March 9, 2006; In an effort to save a Clark County program aimed at cutting the recidivism rate of people driving under the influence, two judges want to create a court to handle DUI cases.
DUI project collides with law: Wednesday, March 8, 2006; The Clark County District Attorney's Serious Offender Program has taken up to 250 repeat DUI offenders. People with two prior convictions for driving under the influence and a third case pending are eligible. People with an extensive criminal history or a DUI conviction in which there was death or substantial bodily harm are not eligible.
Death row inmates may see a ray of hope: Saturday, March 4, 2006; When the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in December that a common way prosecutors pursue the death penalty is unconstitutional, the justices wrote that the ruling's impact will be "so slight" that it will only affect "a few" cases.
Note to judge leads to criminal trial: Friday, March 3, 2006; A year ago David Panko tried to warn District Judge Michelle Leavitt.
J.A.I.L. group goes after judges: Friday, Feb. 24, 2006; A group pushing an initiative to strip judges of their immunity in South Dakota has Nevada on its radar.
Deal takes convicted murderer off death row: Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2006; Prosecutors offered Kaczmarek a deal to end an appeal. He will now serve life in prison without the possibility of parole for the September 2002 robbery and murder of Pedro Villareal in a Fremont Street apartment.
Should the voters pick their judges?: Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006; The Nevada Bar Association is taking a proposal to the Legislature next year to change the Nevada Constitution, creating a judicial selection system that would start with all judges being appointed.
Jury pool can't plug in to power list: Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006; Court Executive Chuck Short had requested the power company's customer list to help diversify the rolls of potential jurors. But after several "good meetings" with Nevada Power President Pat Shalmy, Short was told the company won't release the list, citing privacy concerns.
Judge won't force girl to visit mother in prison: Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006; Family Court Judge Gerald Hardcastle said Wednesday that for now the two can have contact over the phone and through letters. He said a face-to-face visit will come when Brittney says she is ready to see her mother at the prison.
Attorney goes after parents of 311 Boyz: Monday, Feb. 13, 2006; Flipping the old axiom on its ear, a Las Vegas attorney says parents should be held accountable for the sins of their sons.
Mom holds out hope for reunion: Friday, Feb. 10, 2006; Tamara Schmidt is in prison for her failings as a mother, but she still wants to be a mom.
Bench bar set up for Supreme Court: Monday, Feb. 6, 2006; With an increasing caseload making it more difficult for the state's high court jurists to keep abreast of legal trends, the court has asked a group of lawyers to help.
Domestic violence court to get funding: Monday, Feb. 6, 2006; Nicole Moon, public information offi- cer for the attorney general's office, says it is currently working to make $60,000 available to assist in funding the court. She said while the money might not be enough to solely fund the court, the attorney general's office hopes the county might chip in to help establish it.
Appeals court study to begin: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006; With the state's highest court increasingly burdened by a growing caseload, the Legislature has ordered the Nevada Supreme Court to issue a report on whether Nevada needs an intermediate appeals court.
Expanded courts would need 4,000 new employees: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006; WANTED: Roughly 4,000 new Clark County employees to work in several areas of the justice community. Deadline for applications is 2025.
48 more judges needed in 20 years: Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006; In the next 20 years, Clark County will need 48 new District Court judges just to keep pace with the torrid pace of growth, according to a county analysis.
Judicial committee to study jury pool diversity: Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006; A judicial committee is being formed in response to articles written by the Sun suggesting that Clark County's jury pools lack diversity.
Lawsuit to target bad check collection system: Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006; A defense attorney claims the district attorney's bad check unit is violating the Nevada Constitution by funding itself from fees it collects from prosecuting casino marker cases.
Jury-selection criticism prompts new trial: Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006; The state Supreme Court granted a man a new trial last week, citing articles written by the Las Vegas Sun to raise questions about whether the methods used to select potential jurors "adequately represents the diverse population of Clark County."
Judge takes to task public defender: Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005; District Judge Sally Loehrer has called upon the Clark County public defender to discipline or possibly fire one of his attorneys for poorly representing a defendant in 2003.
Sparks fly as county seeks a new source of jurors: Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2005; Nevada Power has pulled the plug on Clark County's desire to use the company's customer list in juror pool selection.
Metro claims courhouse: Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005; As many attorneys, judges and others to slowly settle into the Regional Justice Center, the fate of the old Clark County Courthouse remains up in the air.
What warrants a penalty of death?: Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2005; A man charged with murder is facing the death penalty because of a previous conviction for second-degree arson.
Jail sought for lesser offenders: Saturday, Dec. 10, 2005; People convicted of misdemeanor crimes may soon have a new jail to call home in Clark County.
videoconference first for state court: Friday, Dec. 9, 2005; A bed-ridden mother suffering from severe multiple sclerosis in a Boston suburb was allowed to participate in her child custody hearing Thursday in Las Vegas via a real-time videoconference feed.
Businesses brace for Supreme Court ruling: Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005; The U.S Supreme Court is being asked to lay out ground rules for how employers treat workers who file harassment complaints.
DA: County owed more than $900,000: Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005; The district attorney's office claims GKT Aquisitions owes Clark County more than $900,000 from two land exchanges between the company and the Aviation Department in 2000 and 2001.
Justices of the peace may start hearing defendant pleas: Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005; Las Vegas justices of the peace may soon start hearing pleas from defendants, a move that could save valuable time for District Court judges and defendants alike.