Thursday Sessions

Session Materials (password protected)

Presented by: Judge Linda Marquis & Judge Scott Freeman

Judges Freeman and Marquis provide guidance for judges navigating the pitfalls of social media by exploring cases in which judges have run afoul of ethics guidelines by using social media in ways that taint the credibility of their offices, betray public confidence, and call into question their impartiality.

Learning Objectives

• Identify common ethical risks and pitfalls associated with judges’ use of social media.
• Examine case examples in which judicial social media activity has violated ethical guidelines and undermined public confidence in the judiciary.
• Apply judicial ethics principles to evaluate appropriate and inappropriate uses of social media by judges.

Session Materials (password protected)

Presented by: Dr. Christine McDermott, Ph.D

In a single year, hundreds of judges receive threats—and some escalate to violence. The question is no longer whether judicial officers face risk, but how prepared they are to manage it. This interactive session provides

Nevada judges with a practical, research-informed overview of the modern judicial security landscape. Drawing on national data, real-world incidents, and emerging best practices, the program will examine how and why threats occur, what patterns are evident, and where vulnerabilities most often arise—both inside and outside the courthouse.

Participants will gain concrete strategies to enhance personal safety, strengthen courthouse security awareness, and respond effectively to volatile situations. The session will also introduce de-escalation techniques specifically adapted to the judicial role—balancing authority, neutrality, and safety in high-conflict public-facing environments.

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate the judicial threat landscape and personal risk.
• Understand current trends in threats and attacks against judges and identify key risk factors and vulnerabilities in both professional and personal contexts.
• Implement practical security strategies.
• Apply best practices to enhance personal safety, protect sensitive information, and support effective courthouse security in coordination with justice system partners.
• Respond to threats and deescalate high-risk situations.
• Recognize concerning behaviors, follow appropriate response protocols, and use judicially appropriate de-escalation techniques to manage conflict while maintaining authority and fairness.

Presented by Dr. Kristen Davis-Coelho, Ph.D

Working in the judiciary brings unique challenges and stressors. In this 90-minute presentation, Dr. Davis-Coelho offers a new conceptualization of judicial wellness. Key concepts will be explored, and attendees will be invited to apply these concepts to their own individual wellbeing through self-assessment activities. Practical, evidence-based strategies will be presented that can be used immediately to support participants’ own professional and personal wellness.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the difference between empathy and compassion and the impact of each on burnout.
• Discuss research regarding self-compassion, assess their own level of self-compassion, and utilize tools to improve it.
• Identify and utilize three different strategies to improve their personal and professional
  wellness.

Presented by:  Judge Maria Gall & Judge Al Kacin

This session will explore Rule 65 and attendant case law on temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions, including the standards for granting extraordinary preliminary relief, doing so ex parte, and the purpose and requirement for imposing sufficient security and/or bond.

Learning Objectives:

• Differentiate between prohibitory and mandatory injunctions and between temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions.
• Evaluate when temporary restraining orders may be granted, including the appropriateness of ex parte relief and what constitutes irreparable harm.
• Identify procedural considerations in injunction proceedings, including evidentiary requirements, the role of discovery, damages for wrongful injunctions, and how to determine appropriate security.

Learn about the latest AI tools to leverage in your legal writing, including the many possibilities and many pitfalls now and in the years to come.

Learning Objectives:

• Develop AI literacy about what current tools are available and their potential uses in legal writing—including the ability to spot the use of AI in legal writing.
• Develop practical, ethical frameworks for quickly leveraging AI effectively.
• Ensure that we are the pilots of AI tools and not their passengers by actively engaging as the "human in the loop" at the right times in the right ways.