Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced the judicial appointment of Elham “Ellie” Roohani to the Eighth Judicial District Court, Department 11, effective December 15, 2021.
The appointment fills the vacant seat previously held by District Judge Betsy Gonzalez who stepped down on September 7, 2021, after 17 years of service in her role. Elham Roohani was selected by Governor Sisolak from one of three recommendations provided by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection.
Ellie Roohani has an impressive legal background which includes both trial and appellate experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, serving as Law Clerk to the Ninth Circuit Judge Johnnie Rawlinson, Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt, and teaching as an Adjunct Professor at the William S. Boyd School of Law. Elham Roohani received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2004 and her Juris Doctor from William S. Boyd School of Law in 2010.
The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection is a body created pursuant to Article 6, Section 20 of the Nevada State Constitution, and governed by Nevada Revised Statutes 1.380 through 1.410. The Judicial Selection Commission is charged with vetting candidates who apply to fill a vacancy that occurs in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, or District Court. The Commission recommends three candidates to the Governor, who appoints one of those candidates to fill the remainder of the term of office.