A June policy change by the Nevada Board of Pardons Commissioners requiring public disclosure of which commissioners sponsor inmate cases for review has turned a routine clemency decision into a campaign issue in the governor's race. The board, which comprises the governor, attorney general and all seven Nevada Supreme Court justices, previously disclosed sponsorships only when a commissioner mentioned them during a meeting.
The new transparency revealed that Attorney General Aaron Ford, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, sponsored a request by Norman Smith to reduce his sentence. Smith was convicted of voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon for the 2015 shooting death of Tineshea Adams, who was 20 weeks pregnant, and robbery with a deadly weapon for a series of armed robberies on the Strip. He received an aggregate sentence of 18 to 59 years.
Smith's attorney said the inmate's mother personally lobbied Ford to place the case on the agenda and donated $250 to Ford's campaign, a contribution the campaign later returned. Ford did not attend the September meeting, citing a family emergency, and the board unanimously rejected Smith's request. Ford's office said he would have voted to deny it as well.
Gov. Joe Lombardo's campaign and the Lombardo-aligned Better Nevada PAC quickly attacked Ford for sponsoring a "commutation for Norman Smith, who was convicted of shooting and killing a pregnant woman." A Review-Journal analysis found the process is more complex than the ads suggest, noting that sponsorship is required for every inmate appearing before the board. At the same September meeting, Justices Linda Bell and Kristina Pickering sponsored inmates convicted of murder, kidnapping and battery.
The analysis also found that Lombardo has voted in favor of clemency for applicants convicted of similar crimes, though less frequently than Ford.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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