Chief Judge Linda Marie Bell

Eighth Judicial District Court

Telephone: (702) 671-4344
Email: belll@clarkcountycourts.us

Chief Judge Linda Marie Bell was elected to the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County in 2008. She hears primarily civil matters as well as presiding over the Veterans Treatment Court and OPEN Specialty Court programs. Prior to taking the bench, she spent seven years in the non-capital post-conviction unit of the Federal Public Defender handling complex post-conviction cases.  Judge Bell has argued eleven cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, including the published case of Chambers v. McDaniel. Judge Bell served as a public defender for twelve years and spent five years as a Clark County Public Defender.  In 1993, Judge Bell received her law degree magna cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law.  She was as an Articles Editor for the USD Law Review.  She received moot court awards for writing and oral advocacy.  During law school, Judge Bell worked for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and the San Diego Public Defender’s Office.  A      life-long Nevada resident, Judge Bell graduated with honors from the University of Nevada, Reno, in psychology. Judge Bell is an officer on the board of the ABA National Conference of State Trial Judges.  She is a past president of the Nevada District Judges Association, and the Howard D. McKibben Chapter of the American Inn of Court.  Since 2011, Judge Bell has taught criminal law and criminal procedure at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She was honored as the Trial by Peers Judge of the Year in 2011.  Among other professional and community activity, Judge Bell has served as a member the Court Records Subcommittee, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), as well as on various civic boards.