Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Judge Hardcastle asks to be reassigned

Judge Gerald Hardcastle, who has been assigned to juvenile cases for nine of his nearly 13 years in Family Court, submitted a letter Tuesday requesting reassignment to the court's domestic calendar.

In a letter to Chief District Judge Kathy Hardcastle, his wife, and his fellow Family Court judges, Gerald Hardcastle asked that the change take effect Sept. 30.

He gave no explanation in the letter and declined to discuss the matter when contacted at home Tuesday evening.

Of the 12 Family Court judges, two are assigned to juvenile cases. Hardcastle hears abuse and neglect cases, while Judge William Voy hears cases involving juvenile delinquency.

Recently, Gerald Hardcastle presided over the high-profile case involving 13-year-old Brittney Bergeron, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a 2003 stabbing attack in Mesquite that killed her 3-year-old sister.

Bergeron's mother, Tamara Schmidt, was charged with child neglect for leaving the children home alone in a trailer at the time of the attacks. She pleaded guilty to the charge in District Court and is awaiting sentencing.

In June, Gerald Hardcastle denied a request from the Clark County district attorney's office to terminate Schmidt's parental rights. His ruling has been appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court.

District Court spokesman Michael Sommermeyer said the Family Court judges elect juvenile judges for three-year terms, although the final decision rests with the chief district judge. The remaining Family Court judges rule on domestic matters such as divorces and child custody disputes.