Barlow finishes on top in LV Municipal Court race

      Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Gregory Barlow finished ahead of his competitors Tuesday night, guaranteeing he will advance to the June election in his attempt to remain on the bench for another four-year term.
      Barlow, elected in 1989 and retained by voters in 1993, has fared poorly in judicial performance polls. But he campaigned on his experience, saying choosing a judge was the same as "choosing a physician; you need the most experienced and capable person for the job."
      Barlow garnered 39 percent of the vote. Cedric Kerns, a 31-year-old criminal defense attorney, won 34 percent and Nicholas Del Vecchio, a former criminal prosecutor for the Nye County district attorney's office, came in third with 27 percent.
      Barlow and Kerns will face off in the June 3 general election.
      Municipal courts handle primarily drunken driving, prostitution and domestic battery cases.
      Kerns attacked Barlow, 49, in the campaign, saying the judge was insensitive to victims of domestic battery.
      "Just because you're doing something for eight years doesn't mean you're good at it," said Kerns, who also attacked Barlow's courtroom demeanor.
      Barlow responded by saying he attended courses on domestic battery "before it became fashionable."
      Barlow also said his ratings among lawyers in a Clark County Bar Association/Review-Journal poll were not indicative of his performance because fewer than 100 attorneys participated in the survey.