Speaker Biography The Honorable Cynthia Lu

Second Judicial District Court

Judge Cynthia Lu currently presides in Department 5 of the Second Judicial District Court in Washoe County. She was honored to be elected to the bench in 2014 after previously serving as a Family Court Master. Judge Lu currently serves as the Presiding Judge of the Family Division. In her time with the court, she shepherded the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program (AOT) in Washoe. The AOT program combines community-based outpatient treatment for adults with persistent and serious mental illness with court oversight. It has resulted in a decrease in mental health hospitalizations and lower incarceration rates for the participants. She also inaugurated the Safe Babies Court program, which works to improve the court outcomes and lives of infants and children ages 0 to three in foster care in Washoe County.

Judge Lu has spoken and trained nationally and in Nevada on issues affecting children and families in the court system, including Specialty Courts. She currently has the pleasure of serving on the Nevada Supreme Court's Access to Justice Commission. She also serves on the AOT Advisory Committee for the Treatment Advocacy Center. At the Second Judicial District Court, Judge Lu currently serves on the Budget Committee, Filing Office Committee, Interpreter Committee, and Legislative Committee.