Chief Justice Mark Gibbons has announced a total of 9 individuals filed applications for an opening in Dept. 14 of the Washoe County District Court. The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection will now schedule interviews for the following applicants:
- Gabrielle Jeanne Carr, 53, Master, Sixth Judicial District Court
- Lee Hand Elkins, 67, Attorney, Washoe County Public Defender's Office
- Caren Cafferata Jenkins, 60, Attorney, Nevada State Board of Optometry
- Jennifer Helen Rains, 41, Attorney, Washoe County Public Defender's Office
- Tamatha R. Schreinert, 48, Attorney, Silverman Kattelman Springgate, Chtd.
- Peter Joseph Sferrazza, 73, Judge, Reno Justice Court
- Gregory R. Shannon, 63, Master, Second Judicial District Court
- Sandra A. Unsworth, 59, Attorney, Law Office of Sandra A. Unsworth
- Robert Emerson Vinson, Jr., 58, Vinson Franchise Law Firm
To be eligible, individuals needed 10 years as an attorney, two of those in Nevada. The applications have been posted on the Supreme Court website at http://nvcourts.link/NVJudicialSelection.
The Commission will conduct background investigations and interview each of the applicants on April 16 and 17 (as necessary) in Carson City. The interview process will be open to the public. The Commission will then deliberate and nominate three finalists to Governor Steve Sisolak.
The opening is the result of the resignation of the Honorable David Humke.
The Commission invites written public comments about each applicant’s qualifications. Commission rules allow reference 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 letters of reference by 5 p.m. on April 5, 2019 to:
Ms. Robin Sweet
Secretary, Commission on Judicial Selection
Nevada Supreme Court
201 S. Carson St., Suite 250
Carson City, Nevada, 89701
rsweet@nvcourts.nv.gov(emailed letters do not require physical mailing)
The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection 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:
- Chief Justice Mark Gibbons, 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 (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.
Temporary Commission Members:
Governor Sisolak appointed Hillary Shieve, the Mayor of Reno, to serve as a temporary member, and a second individual is to be appointed by the State Bar.