First-term jurists get ratings break

Newly elected and appointed judges tend to get the benefit of the doubt from local attorneys during their early days on the bench, according to results of the 2010 Judicial Performance Evaluation Survey.

The 19 justices and judges who took judicial office since 2008 had an average retention rating of 76 percent in this year's survey. That is 6 percentage points higher than the average rating of 70 for longer-tenured jurists.

Fourteen of the new jurists rated in the survey were elected, while five were appointed by either Gov. Jim Gibbons or the Clark County Commission.

Clark County Family Court Judge Frank Sullivan led all judges -- new to the bench or not -- with a retention score of 96 percent. Sullivan was elected to the bench in 2008 following a failed bid for a Family Court judgeship in 2002.

Other rookie jurists with retention scores above 80 percent were District Court Judges Linda Bell and Kathleen Delaney (both elected); Family Court Judges Bryce Duckworth (elected), Charles Hoskin (appointed), and Robert Teuton (appointed); Las Vegas Justices of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson and Joseph Sciscento (both appointed); and Henderson Justice of the Peace David Gibson Sr. (elected).

The freshman judge with the lowest retention score is the only new jurist running for another seat on the bench. Only 47 percent of the survey's respondents said Family Court Judge Kenneth Pollock should be retained.

No other new judge had a retention score lower than 60 percent.

Pollock, who is seeking to fill a newly created seat on the District Court bench, said he deserved better scores.

"It is more perception than reality," he said. "There is some resentment out there, because I came from the civil side and not from family law."

Most other new jurists enjoyed what they hope will be a long honeymoon period.

Sullivan, a former president of the Clark County Bar Association, said two decades of experience as a deputy state attorney general, domestic violence commissioner, and juvenile hearing master made for a smooth transition to a Family Court judgeship.

And transition is the key word, Sullivan said, because that is the process he tries to guide families through from the bench.

"What people need in Family Court is resolution," he said. "It's important for the court to help people resolve their differences without the court having to do everything. I try to help direct them so they can find their own results."

One attorney wrote of Sullivan: "He takes the most copious notes of any individual on the bench and can read back a question or testimony given at any time during the case. ... He explains all of his decisions from the bench and leaves no questions as to how he reached his ruling."

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joseph Sciscento, whose approval rating of 91 percent outpaced any of his Justice Court colleagues, said he under­stands that popularity can be fleeting.

"The more people who come in front of you, the more people you have a chance to upset," he said.

Contact reporter Alan Maimon at amaimon@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0404.