Nevada

Suspended Nevada Judge Seeks TRO to Stop Disclipinary Hearing

Updated: An embattled Nevada judge was reportedly shouting “no!” during a Las Vegas disciplinary hearing yesterday, and planned to be in federal court today seeking a temporary restraining order to put a stop to the case. Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Halverson refused to accept any blame for her…

Aug 6, 2008 5:51 PM CDT

Former Bailiff to Suspended Judge: ‘Why?’

Although it had been more than a year since Johnnie Jordan worked as a bailiff for suspended District Judge Elizabeth Halverson, he broke down yesterday in a disciplinary hearing in Las Vegas as he testified that she had treated him like her personal slave. Overwhelmed, Jordan, 39, shouted at the…

Aug 5, 2008 7:44 PM CDT

4th Man Pleads in O.J. Simpson Hotel Armed Robbery Case

A fourth co-defendant has taken a plea in the ongoing casino hotel armed robbery and kidnapping case against former football superstar O.J. Simpson, leaving only one other man besides Simpson still facing trial in Las Vegas next month. Charles Ehrlich, 54, pleaded guilty today to reduced charges of attempted robbery…

Aug 4, 2008 6:05 PM CDT

Vegas Judge Accused of Trying to Make Discipline Case a ‘Laughingstock’

A hearing is being held today in the disciplinary case against embattled Judge Elizabeth Halverson. The Las Vegas judge has been accused of judicial misconduct that includes mistreating staff and sleeping during trials. The hearing is expected to last a week, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Special prosecutor Dorothy Nash…

Aug 4, 2008 5:49 PM CDT

Embattled Las Vegas Judge Loses Bid to Extend Her Term

Embattled Las Vegas Judge Elizabeth Halverson has lost her claim that a law giving her an initial term of only two years on the bench is unconstitutional. The Nevada Supreme Court said in a footnote that it ruled on Halverson’s claim even though the judge had filed a complaint against…

Jul 10, 2008 6:06 PM CDT

O.J.’s Cigar Bar Interview: Anybody Else Wouldn’t Be Tried

O.J. Simpson hinted that an armed robbery charge against him is politically motivated, in an interview he gave to a North Dakota radio station in a Fargo cigar bar. “If I was anybody else, I wouldn’t be going to court,” Simpson told the KFGO interviewer while vacationing in the area,…

Jun 27, 2008 5:32 PM CDT

Estate of ‘Sagebrush Rebellion’ Rancher Wins $8.6M in Water Rights Case

A well-known Nevada rancher has won $8.6 million in a 17-year battle against the government over restricted grazing and water rights, two years after he died. The estate of Wayne Hage was awarded more than $4.2 million last week by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., who found there had…

Jun 11, 2008 5:23 PM CDT

Male Judges in Vegas Score Better on Courtesy in Newspaper Survey

Male judges in the county that includes Las Vegas outscored females on courtesy in a survey (PDF) by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The female judge who scored highest for courtesy still had marks that were lower than all but two of the male judges, the newspaper reports. The lowest rated…

May 22, 2008 11:04 AM CDT

Controversial Vegas Judge Halverson Called for Jury Duty

A Las Vegas judge who faces a hearing next month on charges of improper judicial conduct turned heads late last week when she motored her way through her local courthouse. Suspended District Judge Elizabeth Halverson made the courthouse appearance for jury duty, the Las Vegas Sun reports. Halverson, who gets…

May 19, 2008 3:39 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Fought Nuclear Waste Had Unusual Last Request

A lawyer who died at the age of 53 after a campaign to ban a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain had an unusual request in the obituary he wrote for himself. Joseph Egan wrote in the obit, posted on his firm’s website, that he had arranged for his ashes…

May 13, 2008 3:58 PM CDT

Closed Trial in One Governor’s Divorce; Closed File in Another’s

Although a former New Jersey governor and his soon-to-be ex-wife have been going at each other publicly for months, the first three days of their divorce trial, which started today, will be held behind closed doors. Reportedly focused, at this point, on the custody of their one child, the divorce…

May 6, 2008 8:22 PM CDT

Lenders Freeze Home Equity Lines, Avoiding Possible Chapter 13 Cuts

Instead of providing the expected financial cushion in tough economic times, home equity lines are disappearing just when some owners—including attorneys—were relying on being able to use them. Jerry Tao, a part-time lawyer in Las Vegas, is in better shape than most—he made more than $500,000 last year, and never…

May 6, 2008 4:14 PM CDT

Texas Ranch Raid Sparks Senate Leader’s Call for Federal Task Force

Sparks flew in Arizona, Nevada and Utah last week after the Senate majority leader criticized prosecutors in those states for not being as aggressive as Texas authorities in pursuing claimed child abuse among a religious sect that reportedly advocates polygamy and “spiritual” marriages of underage teenage girls to much older…

May 5, 2008 11:04 PM CDT

Report Criticizes Energy Department’s Hiring of Morgan Lewis

A report released yesterday criticizes a decision by the Department of Energy to hire Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in connection with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project despite conflicts of interest by the law firm. The department’s inspector general said a $109 million contract should not have been awarded to…

Apr 4, 2008 11:37 AM CDT

Law Grads Who Learn in Vegas, Stay Around Vegas

Nevada’s only law school, which has been turning out graduates since 2001, is populating the state with new lawyers. More than 60 percent of the grads from UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law are lawyers working in the state, the Las Vegas Sun reports. About 12 percent of the…

Mar 28, 2008 12:48 PM CDT