Judge Soonhee Bailey

Soonhee “Sunny” Bailey graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Sociology in 1992 and obtained her J.D. from the Seattle University of Law in 1996. After law school, she worked as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in King County and Pierce County. She also served as a Pro Tempore Judge in Pierce County.

Judge Bailey moved to Las Vegas in 2003. She served as a Deputy Public Defender until 2006 when she joined the law firm of Rawlings, Olson, Cannon & Gormley (now Olson, Cannon, Gormley, Angulo & Stoberski). She handled all aspects of civil and complex litigation while she served as a Pro Tempore Judge for the City of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Justice Court.

Judge Bailey was also appointed as the Hearing Master for the State of Nevada Taxicab Authority. In 2006, she co-authored the Courtroom Handbook on Nevada Evidence, published by Thomas Reuters (Westlaw). The 2022 publication is its 17th edition.

Judge Bailey was appointed the State of Nevada Deputy Labor Commissioner in 2014. She became the Acting Labor Commissioner shortly thereafter until her appointment as a Hearing Master in the Family Division. As a Juvenile Delinquency Hearing Master, Judge Bailey presided over Detention Hearings, Plea Hearings, Motion Hearings, the Juvenile Sex Offender Court, and Contested Hearings. She also presided over minor guardianship hearings and discovery hearings.

In 2018, Judge Bailey created the Detention Alternative for Autistic Youth (DAAY) Court, a diversionary court that focuses on providing services aimed to help youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) remain out of the criminal justice system. It is the only program focused on youth with ASD in the nation. On May 31, 2023, Nevada became the first state to pass legislation to create a specialty court for youth in the delinquency system with ASD or suspected of having a diagnosis of ASD.

Judge Bailey was elected in November of 2020 to serve in the Eighth Judicial District Court, Family Division, Department I. She has presided over domestic and juvenile delinquency matters.

Judge Bailey is a member of the State Bar of Washington, State Bar of Nevada, Clark County Bar Association, Asian Bar Association and the American Inns of Court.