The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection has scheduled interviews for six applicants seeking appointment to fill the open judicial seat in Dept. 1 of the Second Judicial District Court in Reno created by the retirement of Judge Janet J. Berry.

The Commission will hold interviews June 19 at the Nevada Supreme Court in Carson City. The interviews will be open to the public.

Once the interviews are complete, the Commission will consider and recommend three finalists, whose names will be submitted to Governor Brian Sandoval for the appointment. All of the candidates are Nevada attorneys with 10 years of legal experience, two of those in Nevada.

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

Monday, June 19, 2017

9:30 a.m. Douglas R. Rands, 58, Reno, Rands, South and Gardner
10:10 a.m. Kathleen Drakulich, 56, Reno, McDonald Carano
10:55 a.m. BREAK
11:10 a.m. Gregory Shannon, 61, Reno, Second Judicial District Court
11:50 a.m. Wesley Ayres, 57, Reno, Second Judicial District Court
12:30 p.m. LUNCH
1:30 p.m. Richard F. Cornell, 64, Reno, Law Offices of Richard F. Cornell
2:10 p.m. James Keller, 45, Reno, United States Attorney Office (Dept. 4)

The Commission will conduct background investigations of the applicants prior to the interviews.

The public is invited to provide comments about the applicant qualifications and letters of support. Commission rules allow letters to remain confidential if requested by the letter writer. However, the Commission may discuss the contents of the letter with the applicant during executive session. Anonymous letters may not be considered at the discretion of the Commissioners.

Submit written comments by 5 p.m. on June 13, 2017 to:

Ms. Robin Sweet
Secretary, Commission on Judicial Selection
Nevada Supreme Court 
201 S. Carson St., Suite 250
Carson City, Nevada, 89701

The applications, with the exceptions of confidential information such as medical records and personal identification information, may be viewed on the Supreme Court website at: Judicial Selection.

Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection

The Commission is composed of seven permanent members – the Supreme Court Chief Justice, three non-attorneys appointed by the Governor, and three attorneys appointed by the State Bar of Nevada.  Neither the Governor nor the State Bar may appoint more than two permanent members from the same political party, and cannot appoint two members from the same county.

Commission Members:

  • Justice Michael A. Cherry, Carson City, Supreme Court Chief Justice, Chair (Constitutional appointee)
  • Valerie Cooney, Carson City, past executive director, Volunteer Attorneys for Rural Nevadans (State Bar appointee)
  • Jeffrey Gilbert, Henderson, veteran gaming executive (Governor appointee)
  • Jesse Gutierrez, Sparks, former executive director, Nevada Hispanic Services (Governor appointee)
  • Gregory Kamer, Esq., Las Vegas, attorney, Kramer Zuker Abbott (State Bar appointee)
  • Jasmine Mehta, Esq., Reno, Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners (State Bar appointee)
  • Leslie Williams, Schurz, administrative assistant for Washoe County Senior Services (Governor appointee)

For District Court vacancies, two temporary members are appointed from the judicial district where the vacancy occurs – a non-attorney by the Governor and an attorney by the State Bar – bringing the Commission membership to nine.

For the current vacancy, Governor Sandoval appointed John Trent, Senior Editor, News & Features, at the University of Nevada, Reno Office of Marketing and Communications.

The State Bar of Nevada appointed Mary Kay Bickett, the former chief executive officer of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.