Five attorneys have applied to the Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection to fill the open judicial seat in the Second Judicial District Court, Dept. 7, created by the death of Judge Patrick Flanagan.
The applicants for the open seat are:
- Craig Denney, 49, Reno, Administrative Law Judge, Social Security Administration
- Carla B. Higginbotham, 44, Reno, Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorney’s Office, District of Nevada
- Orrin Jeffrey Harris Johnson, 41, Carson City, Deputy District Attorney, Carson City District Attorney
- Gregory R. Shannon, 61, Reno, Family Court Master, Second Judicial District Court
- Egan K. Walker, 55, Reno, Family District Court Judge, Dept. 2, Second Judicial District Court
Nevada attorneys with 10 years of legal experience and two years of Nevada residency were eligible to apply. The Commission will now direct background investigations, accept public comment, and interview each of the applicants.
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: http://nvcourts.link/NVJudicialSelection.
Interviews to fill the vacant position are scheduled for Dec. 11 and Dec. 12 at the Nevada Supreme Court in Carson City and will be open to the public.
The Commission invites written public comments about the applicant qualifications. 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.
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.
Submit written comments regarding the applicants by 5 p.m. on Dec. 8 to:
Ms. Robin Sweet
Secretary, Commission on Judicial Selection
Nevada Supreme Court
201 S. Carson St., Suite 250
Carson City, Nevada, 89701
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. 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.
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.