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COMMENTARY: Judicial candidate looking for support across party lines

In response to Jane Ann Morrison’s March 25 column on my candidacy for the Nevada Supreme Court (“Party switch by judge true or Tao tale?”):

Ms. Morrison’s makes much of the fact that I changed my party registration from Democrat to nonpartisan prior to filing as a candidate for the court. It’s no secret that I did, as voter registration information is readily available to the voters.

In fact, I agree with Ms. Morrison when she writes that running as a nonpartisan is the “smart” thing to do. We live in a world in which politics has become infected with hyper-partisanship and, like many other Americans, I’m sick and tired of it. Even judges — who swear an oath to enforce the law fairly and neutrally — are now commonly referred to by their party affiliation, and that’s dangerous. When people believe that judges decide cases based on politics rather than law, that undermines confidence in the judiciary as an independent guardian of justice, and it’s the beginning of the end of the rule of law.

Ms. Morrison further attempts to politicize my candidacy by stating that my campaign website doesn’t mention that, decades ago, I once worked for Harry Reid. But I’m not running for the Nevada Supreme Court because I once briefly worked for Sen. Reid as a young lawyer — though I am proud of the work I did for him then, just as I am also proud to have twice been appointed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.

My candidacy is based on what I have accomplished these past two decades, serving Nevada as a criminal prosecutor, civil attorney, chief deputy public defender, trial judge and Court of Appeals judge — and, yes, I gained legislative experience on Capitol Hill, as well. I believe the breadth and depth of my experience outpaces anyone else vying for this Supreme Court seat.

Since the formation of the Nevada Court of Appeals, I’ve been involved in handling some 2,700 appeals — which is 2,700 more than any other candidate in this race. I’m the only candidate endorsed in this race by the Clark County District Attorneys Association and Attorney General Adam Laxalt. And yes — to the best of my knowledge, I am the only candidate in this race to have both worked for a Democratic U.S. senator and to have been twice appointed by a Republican governor.

The truth is, I have received support from all corners of Nevada politics. I like to believe that this is because I am a fair judge who works hard. In my campaign, I speak with all voters from all political backgrounds, whether in a union hall or at a Keystone breakfast. The law applies to each of us, no matter our politics. That is why I am meeting with voters of all political stripes. I consider this a strength, not a weakness.

Jerry Tao was appointed to the Nevada Court of Appeals in 2014. He is currently running for a seat on the Nevada Supreme Court.

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