Judge likes the sun to shine at Regional Justice Center

District Judge Susan Johnson is quickly becoming the champion of transparency in the courts at the Regional Justice Center.

When others wanted to keep a lid on obstructions to courthouse security cameras, Johnson, as head of the security committee, refused to play that game. She spoke candidly with a reporter before the Las Vegas Review-Journal printed a story on the obstructions.

When she was criticized by some of her fellow judges for being quoted in the story, she stood her ground and defended her right to be on the side of openness.

When a deal was struck for former Assemblyman Morse Arberry to lobby for the courts, Johnson was the only judge to publicly suggest he might not be the right person for the job.

And this week, when the judges met behind closed doors to discuss their options after the County Commission rejected the Arberry deal, it was Johnson’s motion that opened the meeting to the public.

Now if only her desire for transparency would rub off on her colleagues in the courts.