Two file for open Nevada Supreme Court seat

Two candidates have filed to fill the Nevada Supreme Court seat being vacated by retiring Justice Mark Gibbons.

Gibbons announced plans to retire a year early saying he wanted to give those interested in succeeding him ample notice.

Veteran Clark County District Judge Douglas Herndon has filed. He was originally appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Kenny Guinn in 2005, retained in 2006 and elected to full six-year terms in 2008 and 2014. Herndon received his law degree in 1990 from Washington and Lee University in Virginia.

Assemblyman Ozzie Fumo also has filed for that seat. He has served two terms in the Nevada Assembly representing District 21 in Las Vegas. A graduate of Whittier Law School, Fumo was named one of the 100 top criminal defense lawyers by the American Society of Legal Advocates in 2015 and also has received the Nevada Bar Outstanding Service award.

In addition, Chief Justice Kris Pickering filed Monday for a third six-year term on the high court. Pickering graduated from the University of Nevada as a National Merit Scholar and Presidential Scholar. She attended law school at Georgetown and U.C. Davis and in her private career had extensive experience in complex civil litigation.

Bonnie Bulla filed seeking a full term on the three-member Nevada Intermediate Court of Appeals. She was appointed to that post in February 2019. Bulla was a discovery commissioner for the Clark County judicial district courts. In her private practice she primarily handled professional negligence cases.

Kimberly Wanker filed for re-election as District Judge in the Fifth Judicial District representing Nye and Esmeralda counties. She was originally appointed to that post by then-Gov. Brian Sandoval in 2011.

Jim Shirley has filed for re-election as district judge in the 11th Judicial District. The district includes Lander, Mineral and Pershing counties. He is seeking his second six-year term on the bench.

Steve Dobrescu is seeking a fourth term on the Seventh District Court bench which covers Eureka, White Pine and Lincoln counties. He was originally appointed by Guinn in 2001. He received his law degree from McGeorge School of Law in California.

Gary Fairman, the other judge in District Seven, is also running. He was appointed by Sandoval in 2013 and was unopposed in 2014. He is seeking his second full term in office.

Including family court judges, there are 82 district judges in Nevada. All of the district judges run in the same election cycle while terms of Supreme Court justices are staggered.

Judicial candidate filing will continue through Jan. 17.