Judicial debate: Clark County Family Court, Dept. U: Candidates talk of personal, professional involvement with system

A former Family Court judge who wants to regain a seat on the bench highlighted his experience during a Las Vegas Review-Journal debate against his two opponents, who touted their personal and professional involvement with the system.

Attorneys Marilyn Caston, Bill Gonzalez and Dawn Throne are vying for the newly created Family Court seat in Department U.

Gonzalez, who has been licensed in Nevada since 1997, served as a judge in Department F for nearly six years after being appointed to the seat in 2009. He was defeated by Denise Gentile in the 2014 general election.

When asked how he would resolve divorce cases amicably, Gonzalez said, “I create an atmosphere in the courtroom where people are able to come in. I help them resolve their disputes in an amicable way. … The most important thing as a judge is to help people make these important decisions for themselves.”

Throne, licensed in Nevada since 1996, and Caston, licensed since 2009, both said they had personal experience with divorce in the Clark County Family Court system.

Throne said she would dig into the financial issues and other aspects of each case.

“You’ve got to get the case triaged and get them the tools they need to help settle their own case if they can,” she said. “Having a knowledge of the law and being consistent in your rulings will also give everyone the tools and knowledge to know what’s going to happen so they can settle their cases. … Getting them a ruling and getting them moving on with their life is in the best interest of their family.”

Caston said she holds the office of judge in such high respect “that no one can be completely qualified.”

Department U is one of six new spots in the family division.

The newspaper is hosting 23 events for more than 70 candidates in judicial primary races for Family Court, District Court and the Nevada Supreme Court. Mail-in ballots are being delivered to registered voters amid the coronavirus outbreak, and the primary is scheduled for June 9.

In primary races where no candidate captures a majority of votes cast, the top two finishers will advance to November’s general election. If a candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the June primary, the candidate will win the election.

While the debates can be found on reviewjournal.com, they air Wednesday and Saturday nights on Cox Cable’s YurView Channel 14 as part of a video partnership between the media companies.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.