EDITORIAL: For Family Court, Departments P, S and T

The Review-Journal editorial board offers the following endorsements in this fall’s elections for Family Court, Departments P, S and T.

In Department P, incumbent Judge Sandra Pomrenze is seeking re-election against Nathan Gibbs. Judge Pomrenze never tried a case in Family Court before taking the bench 10 years ago, and her scores in last year’s Review-Journal’s Judicial Performance Evaluation reflect as much. She’s one of the lowest-rated jurists on the court, with 53 percent of attorneys who participated in the survey saying she should not be retained. At least 40 percent of attorneys rated her less than adequate in five categories, and a whopping 55 percent of attorneys rated her less than adequate in being courteous. We don’t doubt that she cares about families and children, but Southern Nevadans deserve better in Family Court. Mr. Gibbs, who has practiced family law for 17 years, vows to bring consistency, clarity and fairness to the bench. The Review-Journal endorses Nathan Gibbs in Family Court, Department P.

The race for Department S has featured all the gravitas of an illegal dogfight. Incumbent Judge Vincent Ochoa received a 64 percent retention score in last year’s Review-Journal survey, which places him in the bottom third of Family Court. Judge Ochoa’s performance prompted an aggressive election challenge from Jason Stoffel, who barely has the 10 years of practice required to run for a judgeship. Judge Ochoa confronted Mr. Stoffel at a bar in Ely in March, during a family law conference. Judge Ochoa subsequently ruled against a party represented by Mr. Stoffel’s wife. That prompted a request to remove Mr. Ochoa from the case, which was granted, and an order for a new trial. Meanwhile, Mr. Stoffel threatened to sue the Review-Journal this year on behalf of his pals at Veterans in Politics, who didn’t appreciate having their clownish behavior criticized by one of this newspaper’s columnists. Mr. Stoffel’s demand letter, in which he wrote, “Journalism should be information based, not opinion based,” was laughably awful. When asked if he routinely threatens litigation with no legal basis, he replied, “Maybe I owe you an apology.” Here’s some information- and opinion-based journalism for Mr. Stoffel: You have no business running for any judgeship. And we expect better from Judge Ochoa. The Review-Journal offers no endorsement in Department S.

In Department T, voters ousted poorly performing Judge Gayle Nathan in June’s primary election. But they’ll wind up with an even worse judge if they make the mistake of returning Lisa Brown to the bench. Ms. Brown is trying to pull a fast one on the electorate, which voted her out of Family Court in 2008 after she posted some of the worst scores in the history of the Review-Journal survey — in 2006, just 29 percent of lawyers said she should be retained. That’s beyond brutal. Now Ms. Brown is campaigning with signs that feature her in what appears to be a judge’s robe. Maria Maskall, who has been practicing primarily family law since 1997, is by far the better candidate. The Review-Journal endorses Maria Maskall in Family Court, Department T.