In 2 Clark County Family Court races Tuesday, candidates were trying to oust incumbents. In a third, they were competing for an unfastened seat.
As of 9 p.m., Judge Mary Perry was successful the pb for the Department P spot with 43.1 percent of the vote. Marilyn Caston was starring the Department R seat, with 45.4 percent of the vote, putting her up of incumbent Judge Bill Henderson. Kristine Brewer was up successful Department S with 48.3 percent of the vote.
In each race, if 1 of the candidates receives much than 50 percent of the ballot successful the primary, they volition triumph outright. But if nary 1 surpasses the 50 percent threshold, the 2 top-performing candidates volition beforehand to a run-off predetermination successful November.
Department P
Each Department P campaigner has a history of controversy.
Judge Mary Perry, the incumbent, was publicly censured successful 2024 aft the state’s Commission connected Judicial Discipline recovered that she shouted, utilized profanity and took a hostile code during hearings.
Just 35 percent of attorneys said she should enactment connected the seat successful the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s 2025 Judicial Performance Evaluation. That was the second lowest score for each judges evaluated successful the poll.
Perry, an Air Force veteran, has said she took medicine related to a bosom crab diagnosis that affected her hormones and made her behave harshly. She has reported doing amended much recently.
Jennifer Isso, a household instrumentality lawyer moving against Perry who besides has a past of shouting successful court, received a stayed suspension of her instrumentality licence successful April. Multiple Family Court judges had referred her for discipline.
Isso antecedently told the Review-Journal that she got successful occupation for “being excessively honest.”
The 3rd candidate, household lawyer Kurt Smith, was reprimanded for commingling funds successful 2018 and spent a nighttime successful jailhouse aft helium tried to get retired of assemblage duty successful 2015. He denies that helium tried to evade assemblage duty.
Department R
In Department R, a longtime justice who presided implicit a notorious custody lawsuit was challenged by 2 lawyers.
Judge Bill Henderson, who was elected successful 2008, oversaw the custody quality betwixt Dylan Houston and Ashley Prince.
At an April 2024 deposition successful that case, Houston’s father, lawyer Joseph Houston, fatally changeable Ashley Prince and her husband, Las Vegas lawyer Dennis Prince, who was representing her. Joseph Houston past killed himself.
Henderson has said the shooting affected him significantly.
“It was precise horrific, precise depressing,” helium said. “It remains so, and I don’t privation it exploited for governmental purposes.”
Opponent Marilyn Caston is an experienced household lawyer who said she wants to code systemic issues successful Family Court, similar a slowness to contented orders and overwhelmed litigants representing themselves without an attorney.
Nick Petsas, the 3rd candidate, said helium is drawn to nationalist service.
He has held a fig of jobs, including teacher, nationalist defender successful Washoe County, civilian attorney, authoritative and lawyer for children successful dependency cases. Some of those positions helium occupied for conscionable a fewer months.
Petsas has substantially outraised his opponents this cycle, reporting astir $123,000 successful contributions successful April, compared to $11,660 for Caston and $5,500 for Henderson.
Department S
The Department S contention opened up aft Judge Vincent Ochoa decided not to question re-election.
Henderson lawyer Kristine Brewer, making her 3rd effort astatine a Family Court judgeship, emphasized her proceedings experience.
She faced Randall Forman, a Family Court proceeding maestro moving for a 2nd time, and Tanner Harris, a transgression defence lawyer.
Forman hears home unit extortion and juvenile delinquency cases. Harris said helium has acquisition defending children successful delinquency cases.
Contact Noble Brigham astatine nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.
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