NCPE Town Hall Meeting

Join us on June 28, 2008 for the Third NCPE Town Hall Meeting.

NCPE in the News: 2008

"Given $50,000 He Decides to Run" (Las Vegas Sun)

Acting President Julie Tousa on Jon Ralston's "Face to Face: Ethics Complaint"

Meet the Acting President of NCPE, Julie Tousa

"New Watchdog of Public Ethics Continues Enforcing Vital Unwritten Law" (Las Vegas Review Journal)

"Partying Away As Taxpayers Pay and Pay" (Las Vegas Sun)

Ethics Legislation 2007

NCPE at the 2007 Nevada State Legislature: Summary and Details

"Article 6 Commission" to study and recommend improvements in the Nevada judiciary
See Dr. Craig Walton's summary of May Meeting

NCPE statement about the danger of big donors contributing to Supreme Court justice election campaigns.

Judicial Ethics & the Complaint Processes

Craig Walton's letter, to the Las Vegas Business Journal in favor of the new plan for judicial selection

Candidate Pledge

Email NCPE Treasurer

News, Jucicial Accountability, Arcticle 6 Commission

5/24/07 - Summary of the May "Article 6 Commission" Meeting provided by Dr. Walton

Call to order, 10:10 am.

Roll call
Approval of minutes of 3/28/07, as amended.

1. Legislative Update -
SJR2, the modified "Nevada Plan" for judicial performance evaluation and judicial selection, passed with amendment; now to floor of assembly; if it passes there, then since it is a Constitutional amendment, it must come back in 2009 for passage and, if gaining that, then achieve a majority vote in the Nov. 2010 general election, in order to take effect; SJR 9, which would create an appelate court with, to start, 3 justices, above the District courts and below the Supreme Court, passed both houses and was signed by the governor. Same process: back in 2009, and if passed, then to general election vote in 2010. AB 246, new judges for 8th distr. (Southern Nevada)- Sen. Raggio asks that the Court talk w/Clark County and come back in a few days; AB 505, which changes the filing deadline for judicial elections (a proposal NCPE supports) passed, signed by the Governor.

Also the Supreme Court is writing an draft of a Canon of Judicial Conduct on campaign contributions; this will go to public hearing, and email input, for discussion before a final revision. Spike Wilson asks that not only the reporting of monies contributed, but also of the names of those who gather the monies should be reported, so we can know what/who are the sources of monies in a court race.

2a. Roadmap for the Commisson's possible agenda over the coming months: 3 categories - the structure of the system, the facilities available, and the operational issues. Question - CAN the Supreme Court oversee this whole system? [Constitutionally, it is assigned this job, but] Today it is large, sprawling, lots of individual operations here and there all over the state, and no whole consistent oversight. Justice Parraguirre: does judicial accountability belong here, then, under Roadmap A, Structure? [Answer: the oversight question does; the other aspects of judicial accountability belong in category 3]. Spike Wilson: each of us should send in ideas as to what needs to be done [ add to or revise Roadmap]; we need our Inventory 1st, then set Deadlines.

2b. Randy Pike and Mike Benjamin want to find a firm to do public perception research, to obtain wide public responses about the NV. Judicial system - access to it, trust in it, how one is treated, the integrity of judges and staff, etc.

2c. SJR2 - About national debate on judicial selection, and Nevada's forthcoming debate: Kathy England says see www.justiceatstake.org , which compares 50 states on judicial Selection. See also Washington state's helpful, website here, www.votingforjudges.org . Craig Walton notes that we’ll have 2 yrs. to contribute to public discussion on this issue. Let us work up a set of pro’s & con’s (selection compared to election), publicize them.

2d. Bill Dressel - do we want to support SJR 9? Who does what, here? Craig Walton suggests same approach as with SJR 2 - gather and develop a set of pro's and con's, and make them available to the public.

2e. Craig Walton presentation on 2007 ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct My emphasis is on the moral culture of the courthouse, the judicial system workplace. There needs first to be a shared moral sense of these Canons and 39 rules, why and how to make work, and then there need to be discipline, enforcement of them, via rule 2.15 and our Commission on Judicial Discipline.

3. Tasks for the immediate future:
a. We need copies of SJR 2 AND SJR 9 as amended.
b. We need Randy Fife and Mike Benjamin to do the work on public perception of justice in Nevada.
c. Committees: Ty Cobb and others will start on the Chancery Court idea, and other speciality courts; One committee will work on judicial accountability: Craig Walton, Kathy England, Spike Wilson, Judge Nethery, and Frank Ellis. This group will work on judicial selection, performance evaluation, and discipline, as well as campaign finance disclosure rules.
About Nevadans having access to the courts, a special commission is working on this issue, and will visit us with an update - as will the director of the judicial discipline commission, so that we'll know whether we would have any role on these issues (how to assist those goals). About an Article 6 website, Ron Titus and Bill Gang will help to create this.

4. Public Comment: Ms. Cynthia Stockton of Redress, Inc. distributed copies of a document concerning needed reforms to the Nevada judicial system. Copies were made available to those in Carson City as well as to those in Las Vegas. Members and the Chair thanked Ms. Stockton for her contribution.

Meeting adjourned at 1:45 pm.

Back to top