SUPREME COURT B

Longtime Supreme Court Justice Bill Maupin announced early this year that he would not run for re-election, opting instead to spend time on adventures such as traveling to Haiti to help residents with health care.

Four candidates quickly embarked on ventures of their own -- to secure Maupin's soon-to-be-vacant Seat B.

Deborah Schumacher, a Family Court judge in Washoe County, is the only sitting judge in the contest, a position she believes could give her an advantage over her competitors. Schumacher, 53, has served on District Court's family and juvenile bench in Washoe County for more than a decade.

"The judicial college offers a lot of continuing education around what it means to be a judge and how it impacts your life; it's isolating and it takes a couple of years to adjust," Schumacher said. "It doesn't strike me as sensible the first time you do that is when you are handling the highest court of the state."

Aside from being the only sitting judge in the race, Schumacher also boasts high ratings from the Washoe County Bar Association, including an 87 percent retention rating. Unlike her opponents, voters can judge Schumacher by something tangible, her track record and ratings, she said.

"I think it's better to have had experience of living through that and showing the public you have a backbone and you have courage," she said. "You're not just a reed in the wind."

This is not attorney Don Chairez's first run for the position. Chairez, 52, unsuccessfully ran against Maupin in the 2002 race, but was handily beaten by the incumbent. The former District Court judge, who served in Clark County from 1994 to 1998, is giving it another shot.

"I went to law school not because I want to become rich, but I wanted to make a difference in people's lives," said Chairez.

Since leaving the District Court bench, Chairez has worked on immigration cases, representing clients who range from Israeli investors to Ethiopian refugees seeking political asylum. Chairez acknowledges that Schumacher might have a slight advantage because she is a judge.

"It does give her an edge; she is allowed to wear a robe. I have to refer to myself as a former judge," Chairez said. "The edge I feel I have over her and others is I am the only one who has done felony jury trials and death penalty trials."

Chairez said he would like to sponsor an initiative to revamp the court system to make it more accessible.

"It costs too much money to have your day in court," he said. "With all the procedural hurdles created, ordinary middle-class citizens have no access to the system."

Chairez also would like to see election laws changed as they relate to judges.

"A judge who runs from office and takes money from parties or lawyers representing them should disqualify themselves," he said. "Money affects their decisions."

Nancy Allf, an attorney with the firm Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, has never run for public office but said it is her dream to serve on the Supreme Court.

One of her primary goals is to do away with prejudice and bias in the court system. Residents and businesses in the rural areas should receive the same quality of representation as those in metropolitan areas, she said.

"Everyone should stand equally on the law," Allf said. "That is not a criticism of the Supreme Court. It's a place where we need to be more cognizant of equal representation."

Allf, 51, said when Maupin announced he would not run for re-election, attorneys statewide urged her to enter the race.

"People have been overwhelmingly supportive," she said.

Attorney Kris Pickering calls herself the "meat and potatoes" candidate. She cares about one issue: upholding the laws of the state. "My focus is the job of the justice on the Nevada Supreme Court, which is first and foremost deciding individual cases according to the rule of law," she said. "I do not see the job as being super legislature or a lobbying arm; it's handling the business at hand -- cases."

Pickering doesn't view not being a sitting judge as a disadvantage. For nearly 30 years, the 55-year-old has tried cases in state and federal courts. She has appeared before the Nevada Supreme Court as well as the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

"The Supreme Court has had a number of changes in the last few years," she said. "I see a need for a substantive justice with broad-based judicial experience. That's why I put my name in the ring."

Contact reporter Adrienne Paker at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.