Obama nominates Cadish for federal judge

Clark County District Judge Elissa Cadish has been nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as a U.S. district judge in Nevada, Sen. Harry Reid announced Thursday.

Reid, D-Nev., recommended Cadish for the job.

"Elissa Cadish is a highly respected legal mind who has earned the esteem of litigants, practitioners, and her colleagues as a judge in Nevada's Eighth Judicial District Court," Reid said in a statement. "Cadish has served Nevadans with distinction, and throughout her career she has exhibited integrity, thoughtfulness, and fairness. I am confident she will bring those qualities to the bench and make an outstanding federal judge. I look forward to her swift confirmation."

If confirmed by the Senate, Cadish will fill the seat of longtime U.S. District Judge Philip Pro, who recently took senior status. Pro continues to hear cases as a senior judge.

"I am thrilled and humbled to be nominated by President Obama to this position," Cadish said Thursday. "I look forward to serving on the court."

Cadish, 47, joined the Clark County District Court bench in 2007. Before that, she worked in private practice, focusing on commercial litigation and employment law.

Pro commended Reid and Obama for selecting Cadish, who was his law clerk from 1989 to 1991. He described her as a brilliant lawyer.

"My hope would be that she is so well-qualified that she will speed through the confirmation process and enjoy bipartisan support," the judge said.

Reid makes recommendations to the White House for Nevada's lifetime judgeships because he is the state's senior Democrat in Congress and the president is a member of the same party.

In August, Reid said he had recommended 36-year-old Las Vegas attorney Ariel Stern as Pro's replacement. Stern never received Obama's nomination.

"In consultation with the White House and Mr. Stern, we determined a delay in his nomination would make him a stronger candidate and would contribute to a smoother confirmation process," Reid spokeswoman Kristen Orthman said.

She said Stern remains under "active consideration" for a future U.S. District Court vacancy.

Reid previously recommended Miranda Du as a replacement for U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt, who took senior status in May. Du is awaiting Senate confirmation.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, said the confirmation process slows down during election years. He also said Cadish's strong background makes him optimistic about her chances of getting confirmed.

"But I think it's important to be realistic about the calendar," said Tobias, a former law professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "That's probably the biggest obstacle that she has."

Cadish, who received her law degree in 1989 from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, has more than two decades of legal experience.

In the 2011 Judicial Performance Evaluation, conducted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, 88 percent of the lawyers who responded said Cadish should be retained on the bench.

Then-Gov. Jim Gibbons appointed Cadish in 2007 to replace District Judge Joseph Bonaventure, who retired. Voters elected her in 2008 to a six-year term.

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.