Lyon County district attorney tossing hat in for judgeship

Lyon County District Attorney Leon Aberasturi will seek appointment to the district court seat being vacated by the retirement of Third Judicial District Court Judge Archie Blake.

"It's been an aspiration of mine to become a judge someday. I've been district attorney for five years and, while I certainly have some things I would still like to work on as district attorney, when these things come open you want to take time to look because they don't come open very often," he said.

Aberasturi, 39, is the third person to toss his hat in the appointment ring and he intends to run when elections come up in November.

Blake is leaving the bench Saturday, halfway through his six-year term. That means his replacement will be appointed by Gov. Kenny Guinn after interested candidates apply, are reviewed and interviewed.

After all the candidates are interviewed, the commission selects the top three applicants and sends the names to Governor Guinn. He has 30 days in which to make an appointment to fill the position.

Aberasturi knows about appointments. He was appointed as district attorney in 2000 and ran a successful election campaign in 2002. He had intended to run for re-election this year, but the judgeship came open.

New York born and New Jersey raised, Aberasturi said he knew in seventh grade he wanted to practice law.

At the age of 18 he moved to Tucson and attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 1989 with bachelor's degrees in history and Russian language. He then moved to Moscow, Idaho, and received a law degree from the University of Idaho College of Law in 1993.

In 1994, he worked briefly in Lovelock and then moved to Fernley where he was hired as a deputy district attorney for Lyon County.

In 1996, he took a deputy district attorney position in Lander County where he stayed for four years before returning to the Lyon County District Attorney's office.

Aberasturi lives in Fernley with his wife, Suzi, and three children, ages 11, 12 and 14.

Churchill County District Attorney Arthur Mallory and Yerington attorney and former deputy district attorney John Schlegelmilch have both announced they will seek the appointment and run for election.

-- Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.