Carson City justices apply for District Court seat

Five Carson City residents, including current Carson City Justices of the Peace Thomas Armstrong and Kristin Luis, have applied for an upcoming vacancy in First Judicial District Court, according to the Nevada Administrative Office of the Courts.

In October, First Judicial District Court Judge James Wilson, Department II, announced his retirement effective Jan. 8.

Per state law, Gov. Joe Lombardo will appoint an interim judge to work until a successor is elected in the November general election and takes office.

Armstrong and Luis are up for reelection in 2024 for their current positions. If one of them were appointed to District Court, the vacancy in justice court could be filled by an appointment from the Carson City Board of Supervisors, as allowed under state law.

Other applicants for the District Court vacancy include Amber Handy, owner of Handy Legal Services PC; Mark Krueger, chief deputy attorney general and consumer counsel for the Nevada Attorney General’s Office; and Marcie Elizabeth Ryba, executive director for the Nevada Department of Indigent Defense Services.

The job requirements for the vacancy limited the applicant pool to attorneys currently licensed in Nevada. In their applications, each candidate discussed their work experience and past cases significant to them.

“I draw on the memory of this case often, for the issues presented, but primarily for recognizing that steady and consistent case stewardship from the judge will get the case to the jury, where it belongs,” Armstrong wrote of a criminal case in Washoe County where he was the defense attorney. “I strive for my court to be steady, efficient, and fair in every case.”

Luis discussed a criminal case involving the death of a 19-year-old that she prosecuted with the Carson City District Attorney’s Office in First Judicial District Court.

“The nature of the crime had a significant impact on me, but it also serves as a clear reminder of the importance of good decisions, not just on the legal process, but on the real people who exist and have to live with it,” she wrote.

Handy recalled a case involving a minor in Wilson’s court where she was appointed a neutral guardian ad litem.

“This case was significant because I found it very rewarding to be a true neutral instead of an advocate for a particular side and to be able to develop a relationship with the minor child and the parties, such that I could mediate to resolve their issues,” Handy wrote.

Krueger pointed to his work with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office in opioid-related litigation, which he called the “most complex” in the state’s history.

“I negotiated this agreement, known as the One Nevada Agreement on Allocation of Opioid Recoveries,” Krueger wrote. “The One Nevada Agreement established a team to negotiate settlements; a mechanism to share costs; a fair and equitable allocation of opioid recoveries; a mandate that the recoveries be used to mitigate the harms, risks, and impacts of opioids in Nevada; and established a reporting mechanism for the use of the allocated recoveries.”

Ryba mentioned a past case in Wilson’s court where she served as lead defense counsel with the Nevada State Public Defender’s Office.

“The practice of law is ever evolving and every jury trial is an opportunity to learn,” she wrote. “This particular jury trial was unlike any other because Supreme Court Justice Mark Gibbons served on the jury. One may wonder if having a Supreme Court Justice serve on a jury is beneficial or harmful to a defendant, but I am able to clearly state that it was beneficial.”

The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection is scheduled to interview the applicants Thursday at the Nevada Supreme Court.

“The interviews will be streamed live through the Supreme Court’s YouTube channel and are open to the public,” reads a news release from the Administrative Office of Courts.

The link to the YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/@nevadasupremecourt4190.

According to the AOC, the commission is expected to nominate the top three candidates after the interviews and send the names to the governor. Lombardo will have 30 days to make the appointment.