Attorneys think these are the best and worst district judges

Attorneys want two Clark County district judges to leave the bench but gave high praise to others.

As part of the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s 2025 Judicial Performance Evaluation, lawyers had the chance to anonymously rate the judges on administrative ability, legal ability and integrity. They also were able to say whether or not they would recommend each judge for retention.

All 32 District Court seats will be on the ballot in 2026. The survey is intended to help voters navigate a crowded field and identify the best and worst jurists.

District Judges Erika Ballou and Joanna Kishner were at the bottom of the list for retention scores, falling well below the average 72.93 percent retention score for the court.

Judges Ronald Israel, Jessica Peterson and Jasmin Lilly-Spells also received poor grades, but they passed the 50 percent mark to receive a retention recommendation from respondents.

Judges Carli Kierny, Bita Yeager, Jacqueline Bluth, Maria Gall and Tina Talim received the highest retention scores for the court.

UNLV’s Center for Research, Evaluation and Assessment conducted the survey, which the Review-Journal has spearheaded 14 times since 1992.

“I think it’s important for judges to hear feedback because often, we’re so isolated we never get any feedback,” Bluth said.

The worst scorers

Only 32.8 percent of responding attorneys thought Ballou should remain a judge.

Ballou, who was accused of defying the Nevada Supreme Court, was suspended from the bench without pay in September. The suspension is scheduled to last six months.

She also was censured last year for social media posts and remarks she made at a sentencing.

The comments she received in the survey were mostly negative.

“This judge is a disaster,” one lawyer wrote. “She is absolutely not qualified to be the judge of anything.”

Ballou could not be reached for comment.

Kishner, whom just 46.6 percent of lawyers wanted to retain, received written comments with clear themes: that she is mean to attorneys and obsessed with court rules.

“Just resign,” wrote one lawyer. “Your form over substance methodology makes you a hated member of the bench. Is this how you want your legacy to be viewed? You make every attorney’s life miserable for no good reason.”

Some comments mentioned Kishner’s intelligence.

“Judge Kishner is a very sophisticated and highly technical judge that remains an invaluable member of the business court,” another attorney observed. “I welcome the opportunity to litigate complex civil matters in her courtroom. That being said, I have concerns about the increased vitriol with which she addresses attorneys in open court, especially younger attorneys, over perceived violations of local rules or rules of civil procedure.”

Her score has dropped since the last Judicial Performance Evaluation, conducted in 2019, when 61 percent of attorneys recommended retention.

“I decide cases according to the law and facts, without regard to whether decisions are popular with those who may be inclined to respond negatively,” Kishner said in a statement. “I put in the time and work to be well prepared to uphold and apply the law, and perform all the duties of my judicial office fairly and impartially. I in turn, ask that the lawyers do the job their clients retained them to do, by being prepared and following the laws and rules that govern the court. As a result, I may not win a popularity contest, but, I do respect all those who appear in court and ensure that the law is followed fairly and impartially.”

Other low scorers

The UNLV center director, Bradley Marianno, said that when a judge is at or below a 60 percent retention score, it could indicate problems.

Israel narrowly escaped not being recommended for retention, as just 50.7 percent of lawyers who responded wanted to keep him.

He also has performed poorly in the past, with a 46 percent retention score on the 2019 Judicial Performance Evaluation. Most of the comments for him this time were negative.

“Dumb, rude, and slow,” one respondent wrote. “He needs to go.”

“Why are you still on the bench?” asked a different lawyer. “You act like you hate your job, you constantly complain about the job from the bench and about the attorneys that appear before you. Let someone else who actually wants to be a judge have a chance.”

Court spokesperson Mary Ann Price said Israel would “forgo” the opportunity to comment.

Only 54.2 percent of lawyers wanted to retain Peterson, who hears a mix of civil, criminal and probate cases.

Some commenters praised her fairness and hard work. Others criticized her temperament and understanding of the law.

“Every time I am in her court, I wait for her to blow up and yell at the attorneys,” one wrote.

In an interview, Peterson said she was surprised by comments that she does not understand the law because she works hard to study it and prepare.

“I just don’t think that’s accurate, at least in certain areas,” she said.

But she acknowledged that she sometimes loses her patience and said she has been working on becoming more patient.

She said her retention score shows that people are divided about her.

“I’m never going to be the Miss Congeniality at the beauty pagaent, right?” she said. “People either love me or they don’t.”

In Lilly-Spells’ case, commenters noted that she’s cordial and empathetic, but attorneys also gave her negative feedback.

“One of the slowest judges in the building,” one lawyer said. “Also, not smart.”

The judge received a 57.3 percent retention score from attorneys.

When contacted, Lilly-Spells had no comment on her results.

The best performing

The highest-scoring judges were all women who have taken the bench relatively recently. The survey showed that 91 percent of attorneys recommended Kierny for retention, the highest score for District Court.

“Judge Kierny is punctual and has a great temperament,” wrote a lawyer. “I have seen her dealing with extremely difficult defendant(s) but never seen her express frustration outwardly. She has a great poker face and remains neutral. I enjoy appearing before Judge Kierny.”

Kierny said she always reads everything that attorneys file.

“I try to be as prepared as I can, and I recognize that (for) the parties in front of me, this is obviously a very stressful day for them and try to be as accommodating as I can,” she said.

She was the only district judge to cross the 90 percent retention score threshold. Yeager followed her with 89.1 percent, then Bluth with 88 percent, Gall with 87.5 percent and Talim with 85.5 percent.

Yeager said she tries to be prepared, treat people courteously and not waste others’ time.

“I’ve been a public servant for my entire career, and so I’m very mindful of the fact that as a public servant, that the public deserves my best in terms of work and effort,” she said.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.