Rural judicial vacancy draws 11 hopefuls; panel to choose three

Eleven attorneys have applied to fill a judicial vacancy created by the Jan. 26 death of longtime Fifth District Judge John P. Davis.

They are Robert J. Bennett, 64, a Fernley justice of the peace; Jason Earnest, 41, a deputy public defender in Nye County; David R. Ford, 62, a Las Vegas attorney in private practice; John Friel, 45, a deputy district attorney in Nye County stationed in Tonopah; Louis Minicozzi, 43, a Henderson attorney; Thomas Gibson, a Pahrump-based Nye County deputy district attorney; William Schaeffer, 55, a Battle Mountain attorney; Donald Smith, 59, of Minden; Kirk Vitto, 52, the longtime Nye County chief deputy district attorney; Kimberly Wanker, 49, a Las Vegas attorney in private practice; and Art Wehrmeister, 67, a former district attorney in Nye and Esmeralda counties.

Rural district judges preside over civil, criminal and family cases.

According to the Nevada Supreme Court's judicial selection commission, background checks will be conducted and the names of three finalists will go to Gov. Brian Sandoval, who will make the appointment. Whoever gets the nod will have to stand for election in 2012.

The Fifth District encompasses Nye, Mineral and Esmeralda counties, an area larger than the state of Indiana.