Charges against judge to be heard

District Judge Elizabeth Halverson barely had time to get comfortable when she took the bench in January 2007 before an onslaught of accusations surfaced about her behavior.

She was accused of improperly communicating with jurors, treating her bailiff like a personal slave and falling asleep on the bench.

A May 2007 report said that she ordered her bailiff, Johnny Jordan, to rub her feet and give her back massages, clean her floor and cover her with blankets when she lay down.

The report said that she was openly hostile to her staff, calling her court clerk the "evil one," and that she couldn't adequately conduct criminal trials.

Halverson's criminal caseload was stripped from her, and she was temporarily barred from the Regional Justice Center for bringing personal bodyguards into the courthouse.

The Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission suspended Halverson, 50, in July 2007, and she has remained off the bench, with her $130,000 annual pay, ever since.

Starting today, the commission is scheduled to hold an open hearing that will decide Halverson's fate. The commission considers judges innocent until proved guilty.

Commission Executive Director David Sarnowski declined to comment last week on the case.

Halverson denied the charges against her, saying they might have been motivated by personal grievances and not her work.

"I'm going to clear my name," she said in an recent interview. She is expected to represent herself during the hearing with co-counsel.

Halverson is running for re-election to Department 23. She is being challenged by Family Court Judge Stefany Miley and attorney Jason Landess.

Despite being off the bench for a year, Halverson said she has been busy working with attorneys to fight the accusations.

During the past year, she has challenged a defamation lawsuit filed against her by a former judicial executive assistant, Ileen Spoor, whom Halverson accused of fixing tickets.

Halverson also sought to bypass the 2008 election, arguing that her two-year term is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruled against her in July.

Halverson said that when she visits the grocery store or goes to the movies, strangers come up to her and offer their support. They admire her for fighting, she said.

The judge said the accusations against her stem in part from her contentious relationship with Chief District Judge Kathy Hardcastle.

Before being elected, Halverson served as a law clerk for nine years in District Court but was fired in 2004 by Hardcastle, who cited the temporary nature of the position.

Halverson ran against Hardcastle's then-husband, former Family Court Judge Gerald Hardcastle, for his Family Court seat but lost the election.

"This has never been about anything other than her behavior," Hardcastle said.

If Halverson is found to have committed wrongdoing, she could get no punishment or get a slap on the wrist. The seven Judicial Discipline Commission members also could permanently remove her from the bench.

The hearing will be similar to a trial, but it is not a criminal proceeding. It is expected to last a week, with multiple witnesses expected to be called.

While removing judges from the bench is rare, the commission has done so.

In 1987, it kicked District Judge Paul Goldman off the bench after it found him guilty of judicial misconduct. Goldman ordered the jailing of a Las Vegas police commander who did not return his phone calls to the judge fast enough. He also jailed an 87-year-old woman who refused to testify against her son.

In 1995, the Judicial Discipline Commission ousted North Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Gary Davis.

Davis was accused of borrowing money from court employees, endorsing political candidates and using court employees to run personal errands.

The commission also removed Family Court Judge Fran Fine from the bench in 1998 for having ex-parte conversations, or conversations involving only one side of a case.

She also was accused of appointing a cousin as a mediator without disclosing the relationship.

Halverson, however, believes she will prevail. While the charges against her sound bizarre, she said, they are not what the media are making them out to be.

She said her bailiff never rubbed her feet but often had put slippers or her shoes onto her feet voluntarily.

She said she never slept on the bench but had a hypoglycemic issue that made her dizzy when she forgot to eat because of her busy schedule.

While Halverson admitted she ate dinner with jurors, she said that the dinner was served in the courthouse and that they never discussed the case before the jury.

Despite the allegations and legal struggles, Halverson said she still wants to serve as a judge.

"It's a very dysfunctional family," she said. "But it's worth it."

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.