Judge tries his hand at one-liners, quips

At a recent campaign event in Las Vegas, Judge Nicholas Del Vecchio appeared to be auditioning for a spot on the "Late Show with David Letterman" instead of his seat in Family Court. He fired off one-liners and quips during his brief appearance, earning a few laughs from the dozen or so people who attended.

"I once did a Supreme Court brief for an Egg McMuffin," he said.

The attempts at humor continued.

When one of his friends in the back of the room began talking, Del Vecchio shouted: "Are you listening? I'll hold you in contempt."

Del Vecchio, 50, however, faces some serious civil charges.

A former judicial assistant, who also was his stepdaughter, has accused the judge of sexually abusing her when she was 14. In a complaint filed with the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission on Feb. 8, the woman also accused Del Vecchio of taking nude photos of her from age 14 to 16.

When the woman, Rebeccah Murray, later worked for Del Vecchio, she said he coerced her into having sex with him when she was in her 20s.

Other staff members also complained about Del Vecchio's behavior, saying he made racist remarks and directed a former bailiff who had a part-time job with a commercial airline to get him free airline tickets, according to the complaint.

Those accusations haven't stopped Del Vecchio, who denies the allegations, from campaigning to retain his seat in Family Court's Department K. But he didn't address the accusations during the Feb. 23 campaign forum, hosted by Veterans in Politics and held at the Marine Corps League Leatherneck Club.

During the event, a panel of veterans asked questions of dozens of judicial candidates. The candidates didn't take questions from the audience.

When asked if he was a man of high morals and professionalism, Del Vecchio replied with a simple "yes."

Steve Sanson, president of Veterans in Politics, shot back: "A short answer for a long-winded judge."

Del Vecchio was first elected to the Family Court bench in 2000 after losing seven earlier tries. He has drawn three opponents: family law attorneys Ellen Bezian, Cynthia Giuliani and Vincent Ochoa. Bezian and Ochoa took part in the campaign event.

Sanson later said Del Vecchio didn't want to take part in the forum if the veterans panel grilled him on the accusations. Sanson said he agreed not to ask any questions related to the judicial discipline complaint in return for Del Vecchio's participation.

Del Vecchio's judicial executive assistant, Sharon Phelps, disputed Sanson's account. She said there was never an agreement between Del Vecchio and Sanson restricting the type of questions asked during the forum. But according to an e-mail Phelps sent to Sanson before the campaign event, she made it clear the judge wouldn't address the accusations.

After speaking to the veterans, Del Vecchio stood outside the club with a man he identified as his bailiff. The "bailiff" wasn't wearing a uniform but was armed with a handgun and Taser.

Del Vecchio wouldn't answer questions and had his bailiff speak for him. "He cannot speak about the situation," the bailiff said.

Another judicial candidate facing serious charges, Elizabeth Halverson, also spoke at the campaign forum. Unlike Del Vecchio, she addressed the allegations head on.

Halverson said she was removed from the bench because of petty personal grievances against her, not because she was incompetent.

Sanson asked Halverson why she didn't run against Chief Judge Kathy Hardcastle. Hardcastle and Halverson are known to have a contentious relationship. Halverson once worked as a law clerk in District Court but was fired by Hardcastle.

"I am the sitting judge in Department 23. So why would I give up my sitting seat to go after someone else over what? Petty vengeance?" she said. "This isn't about vengeance on my part."

The Judicial Discipline Commission suspended Halverson from the bench with pay after allegations surfaced that she harassed employees, couldn't properly conduct criminal trials and improperly communicated with jurors, among other accusations. The Nevada Supreme Court upheld her suspension on Nov. 1.

Halverson was elected in 2006. She served about 10 months before being suspended. She is being challenged by Family Court Judge Stefany Miley, who took a few shots at Halverson at the forum.

"I know what you can and cannot do in the courtroom," Miley said. "I know who you can and cannot talk to during jury trials."

Despite the criticism, Halverson remained upbeat after the forum.

"All the charges are highly questionable," she said. "The public is very wise. They can see through a lot of this."

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