Nevada voters will decide on 31 percent of the state’s District Court judges when they head to the polls in November, with a total of 155 candidates filing for election to the judiciary, according to reporting from the Associated Press. The remaining two-thirds of judges retained their seats after no opponents filed during the judicial candidate filing period that closed Friday.
The elections will reshape Nevada’s court system as judicial calendars have become packed and specialization among court divisions has expanded, creating challenges for voters unfamiliar with the judicial branch.
County-by-county election scope
In Clark County, the state’s most populous, voters will select judges for 20 of the 58 District Court positions across civil, criminal, and family divisions. Seven Clark County judges announced they would not seek re-election: four from civil and criminal court and three from family court.
In Washoe County, three of 16 District Court seats will be contested in November. One race features an unusual matchup where family Judge Bridget Robb is running against civil and criminal Judge Kathleen Sigurdson for a different seat after Sigurdson announced her retirement.
Races across the state
Statewide, Nevada’s two Supreme Court justices on the ballot — Chief Justice Douglas Herndon and Justice Kristina Pickering — secured their seats without opposition, winning re-election to six-year terms.
In Clark County, where most contested races occur, nine civil and criminal judges and five family court judges face opponents. These matchups include sitting judges competing against attorneys, prosecutors, and lower court judges seeking advancement.
One particularly visible race repeats a 2024 family court contest. Judge Kerri Maxey, who won that matchup with 54 percent of the vote, faces attorney Paul Michel Gaudet again in Department N. Gaudet was appointed to the seat in 2023 by Governor Joe Lombardo.
In Nye County, another crowded race has drawn attention. Suspended Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore drew three opponents in her race for the office. Fiore received a pardon from President Donald Trump in April 2024 after being convicted on six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Her three challengers are attorney Michael Foley, the substitute judge appointed a year ago by Nye County commissioners, and two non-attorney Pahrump residents. UNLV history professor Michael Green, who has studied Nevada elections, suggested the crowded race could benefit Fiore by dividing opposition votes. “Having several people in the race means you’re very likely to split the vote of the people who wouldn’t vote for her,” Green said. “Where she’s running, having the pardon does not hurt her.”
Nevada law allows non-lawyers to serve as justices of the peace in counties with populations of fewer than 100,000 residents, though they must still follow the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct and avoid conflicts of interest.
Court expansion and voter perspectives
The elections occur as Nevada’s judiciary has undergone significant expansion and specialization. Clark County’s family court, established in 1993 with six departments, has grown to 26 departments. This expansion creates challenges for voters unfamiliar with the judicial system.
Green noted that most voters are not attorneys and often defer to endorsement lists when making judicial selections. “Most of the voters are not attorneys. I know attorneys who do lists of people they think we should vote for, which makes sense,” Green said.
Green predicted that midterm elections would reflect national political dynamics. “I think 2026 is not going to be an exception,” he said. “There will be a lot of fighting about the marquee races. It could filter down, especially as campaigns become more partisan. People are going to look at the endorsement lists in judicial races. They will have an impact.”
The primary election is scheduled for June 9, with the general election on November 3.
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