EDITORIAL: Recall Judge Ramsey to halt NLV court’s overreach

The suffering taxpayers of North Las Vegas shouldn’t be surprised if they’re served with a divorce filing in the coming months. Their Municipal Court, already hopelessly disconnected from the people it serves because of arrogant, vindictive practices, wants to break up with City Hall.

As reported Monday by the Review-Journal’s Bethany Barnes, North Las Vegas Municipal Court has hired attorney Anthony Hall to help it gain independence from the city’s other branches of government over spending and personnel. Considering the court advised its employees in an April 14 letter that it now considers their union contracts void, Mr. Hall will have no shortage of work.

Municipal Court is no stranger to picking fights. In fact, Judge Catherine Ramsey is the target of a recall petition because of her hostility to court employees, the city attorney and the public at large. Complaints over her treatment of staff have burdened the city with investigatory and settlement costs; she put attorney fees on her city purchasing card, despite being told she couldn’t, when the city attorney declined to represent her in a lawsuit filed by her former judicial assistant; and attorneys say she’s dismissing cases and reducing charges to punish the city attorney for not defending her and City Hall for cutting court funding. Those dismissals and reductions are costing the city thousands of dollars per month.

The fact that recession-ravaged North Las Vegas has almost no financial breathing room and barely avoided a state takeover doesn’t matter to the court. Judge Ramsey and fellow Municipal Judge Sean Hoeffgen are so convinced they should be immune to the kinds of sacrifices the city and its residents have made that they’re willing to bleed the city further in pursuit of their power play.

Judicial independence is critical to court operations when it comes to rulings. Judges must be as removed as possible from political or private influences when rendering decisions. Without this kind of independence, a court lacks integrity.

But courts increasingly are asserting a different kind of independence, one that defies the concept of co-equal branches of government and the checks and balances that prevent one from becoming more powerful than another. Courts are seeking greater control of their revenues and their personnel. And in Nevada, a state Supreme Court decision supports the expanded authority. Two years ago, the high court helped Sparks Municipal Court gain greater independence from a city government that sought to cut court employee pay.

Mr. Hall insists the court wants power over personnel to save jobs and protect their salaries and benefits. And his arguments would have some merit — if not for the disgraceful track record of Judge Ramsey, who most certainly is not looking out for court employees or the public. She is looking out for herself.

Judge Ramsey and Judge Hoeffgen were elected to administer justice in misdemeanor and small civil cases, not create an empire that’s unaccountable to the North Las Vegas City Council, city administration and the taxpaying public.

North Las Vegas residents can help put a stop to this costly, pointless fight and rid themselves of a rogue judge at the same time. Provided they’re eligible, they can sign the petition to recall Judge Ramsey. Visit the petitioners’ website, removeramseynow.com, to learn more.