24 | Friday, May 25, 2018 | Record Courier
Justice of the Supreme Court, Seat C
LEON ABERASTURI
Address: LA for Justice P.O.
Box 386, Fernley NV 89408
Age: 51
Contact Infor-
mation: jud-
gelaforjustice@
gmail.com;
judgelaforjustice.
com
Record of
Leon Service:Third
Aberasturi Judicial District
Court, Dept.
2, 2007-present; Lyon County
District Attorney, 2001-2006;
Lander County Deputy District
Attorney, 1996-2000; Lyon
County Deputy District Attorney,
1994-1996 and 2000
Education: University of Ar-
izona, Tucson Arizona, 1989
B.A. History & B.A. Russian
Language; University of Idaho,
College of Law, Moscow, Idaho
Juris Doctorate
Platform: Courts are about
people. People expect that their
courts will resolve their prob-
lems. People expect that their
courts will provide them a fair
opportunity to be heard. People
expect decisions based upon
Nevada law and common sense.
Finally, people expect to receive
decisions in a timely manner.
Whether right or wrong, too
many Nevadans believe that
they are not receiving the ser-
vice that they have a right to
expect from their family courts
in Clark and Washoe coun-
ties. Nevada’s families should
come first. The family courts in
Washoe and Clark counties need
more judges and resources to
help our families. The Supreme
Court needs to act with a sense
of urgency. Less time should be
spent on commissions and ad-
ministrative dockets. Courts ex-
ist to resolve people’s problems
and not to indulge a judge’s
desire to legislate. If elected, I
will urge other members of the
Supreme Court to focus upon
our families and to focus upon
resolving the backlog of cases.
Qualifications: I have served
as a rural district court judge
for over 10 years in the Third
Judicial District. Prior to serv-
ing on the bench, I was the
elected Lyon County District
Attorney. I also served as a dep-
uty district attorney for Lyon
and Lander counties. I under-
stand the issues that impact our
rural communities and govern-
ments. I appreciate the impor-
tance of agriculture, mining,
and the use of our public lands.
There are 17 counties in
Nevada. The 15 rural counties
have little to no representation
in our State government. With
each census we lose more of
our local representation due to
re-apportionment.
The Nevada Supreme Court
has seven seats. It has been
decades since a rural county
judge was elected to the Nevada
Supreme Court. Adding another
judge from Washoe or Clark
counties will add no diversi-
ty to our Supreme Court. The
Supreme Court also lacks any
justices with extensive family
law experience.
Why elect a rural county dis-
trict court judge? Rural county
district court judges handle
every aspect of the law. Rural
counties do not have family
courts or business courts in
which the judges only handle
those matters. It is not uncom-
mon for a rural county judge to
handle a child custody case in
the morning and an evidentiary
hearing in a murder case in the
afternoon. The next day might
involve a water rights case or
quiet title action.
As a grandson of Basque
immigrants, I understand the
importance of family and com-
munity. I have served Nevadans
in three rural counties over
the past 24 years. I raised my
children in Lovelock, Battle
Mountain, and Fernley. I have
also worked in Yerington and
Fallon. I have been married to
my wife Suzanne for 28 years.
My children are now pursuing
graduate degrees.
You have a choice in this
election. Please join others
such as State Senators James
Settelmeyer and Pete Goicoe-
chea, Assemblywoman Dr. Rob-
in Titus and Assemblyman Jim
Wheeler who have endorsed
me. You do not have to vote
for an establishment candidate
from Clark County. You can
elect a candidate who will bring
a rural independent view to you
Nevada Supreme Court.
Please vote for Judge Leon
Aberasturi.
ELISSA F. CADISH
Address: 1930 Village Center
Circle, #3-512,
Las Vegas, NV
89134
Occupation:
Eighth Judicial
District Court
Judge, Civil
Criminal Divi-
Elissa F. Cadish sion, Depart-
ment 6
Age: 53
Contact Information:
JudgeCadish@gmail.com;
JudgeCadish4Justice.com
Record of Service: I have
been a District Judge since
2007, hearing civil and crimi-
nal cases. I was also the probate
judge for two years. I also hear
administrative appeals and
appeals from municipal courts
and justice courts.
Education: B.A. with Honors
in Political Science, University
of Pennsylvania; J.D., Universi-
ty of Virginia School of Law
Platform: There are two main
points to my platform: 1) Fair
and consistent application of
the law; and 2) Decreasing
the time to decision and more
published decisions. First, as a
Justice, my rulings will always
be based on the facts, the law,
and what is just. This is the
way I have approached the
cases before me as a District
Judge, always ruling based on
the merits of the case, not the
race, religion, socioeconomic
status, or political clout of the
attorneys or the parties before
me. I am absolutely committed
to the rule of law, and thus the
law must be applied fairly and
consistently to all parties and
nobody is above the law.
Second, now that the Court
of Appeals has been in place for
a couple of years, the Nevada
Supreme Court must resolve
the cases before it more quickly,
and recognize the impact on
people’s lives when cases re-
main pending for years without
a resolution. I also look forward
to issuing more published de-
cisions which have the effect of
binding precedent and thus will
lend consistency and predict-
ability to litigation at the trial
level once we know what the
law is in a particular area.
Qualifications: I am the most
qualified based on my educa-
tion, work experience, demean-
or, and community involve-
ment. I graduated magna cum
laude from the University of
Pennsylvania with honors in
Political Science, and then went
to law school at the University
of Virginia where I was on the
Virginia Law Review and was
awarded the Order of the Coif
based on graduating in the top
10 percent of the class. After
law school, I clerked for United
States District Judge Philip Pro
in Las Vegas for two years, and
then practiced in the areas of
commercial litigation and em-
ployment law for 16 years.
In 2007, I was appointed as
a District Judge in the Eighth
Judicial District Court where
I have been hearing civil and
criminal cases for over 10 years
now. As a District Judge, I treat
everybody with courtesy and
respect, work hard to prepare
for every hearing, and rule
based on the facts and the law,
explaining the reasons for my
decisions. I get along well with
the attorneys and parties who
appear before me as well as my
colleagues on the bench, and
have relationships of mutual
respect with the current Ne-
vada Supreme Court Justices
who have been reviewing my
decisions for the last 10 years.
During that time, I have been
the highest rated female judge
in my court in the Review-Jour-
nal’s Judging the Judges survey.
Throughout my career, I have
been very involved in the legal
community and the community
at large, and have been recog-
nized for my contributions. I
was President of the Southern
Nevada Association of Women
Attorneys from 2004 to 2006,
and President of the Howard
D. McKibben Chapter of the
American Inn of Court from
2010 to 2012. I was recog-
nized by the Clark County
Law Foundation as the Trial
by Peers Judge of the Year for
2009 and was the Clark County
Bar Association’s Ambassador
of the Year for 2010. In May of
2016, I was a recipient of the
Clark County Law Foundation’s
Liberty Bell Award. I have par-
ticipated as a judge in the We
the People competition among
high school students regarding
knowledge of the U.S. Consti-
tution for more than 25 years,
and am now the co-chair of the
Nevada Bar’s We the People
Committee and sit on the Board
of the Nevada Center for Civic
Engagement. I was recognized
by Congregation Ner Tamid as
a Woman of Valor in November
2011. I have also served on the
Board of the Jewish Family Ser-
vice Agency in Las Vegas since
January of 2014.
Based on all of the above, I
believe the breadth and depth
of my legal experience, my
demonstrated skill at legal
analysis and reputation for
fairness and calm reflection,
my ability to work productively
with colleagues, and visibility
and leadership in the communi-
ty make me the most qualified
candidate for this position.
ALAN LEFEBVRE
Website: Alan4NSCseatC.com
http://alan4n-
scseatc.com/
about-alan/
http://alan4n-
scseatc.com/
about-the-cour
http://alan4n-
scseatc.com/
Alan Lefebvre faqs/t/
JOHN RUTLEDGE
Address: 320 N. Carson St.,
Carson City, Nevada 89701
Occupation: Attorney
Age: 45
Contact Infor-
mation: Rut-
ledgeForNevada.
com; john@
rutledgelawcen-
ter.com
Education:
John Rutledge Loyola Mary-
mount Universi-
ty, B.A. in Philosophy; Howard
University School of Law, J.D.
cum laude; University of Miami
School of Law, L.LM. in Real
Property Development
Platform: I am passionate
about the rule of law and the
equal application of justice.
Among other things, our state’s
Supreme Court regulates legal
practice in Nevada — and, in
doing so, it profoundly affects
our daily lives. I’m looking to
join the Court to add my voice,
my vision, and my legal and
life experience to that deci-
sion-making body — so that
I can help it make the fairest
decisions possible.
Qualifications: A hero of
mine is famous for advising
that applicants should be evalu-
ated for their integrity, intelli-
gence, and experience — in that
order. He cautions that, without
the first two, the third one will
kill you. As for me, my integrity
is intact and non-negotiable.
Further, as far as I know, my in-
telligence has never been ques-
tioned. Add in my extremely
broad and deep life and private
practice experiences and I’m
confident you’ll agree that I’m
the right choice for this posi-
tion. Please vote RUTLEDGE
for Nevada Supreme Court-Seat
C. Thank you.
JERRY TAO
Address: Committee to Elect
Jerry Tao, 645 Sierra Rose Drive,
#105b, Reno,
NV 89511; or
10170 W. Tropi-
cana Ave., #156-
290, Las Vegas,
NV 89147
Occupation:
Judge, Neva-
Jerry Tao da Court of
Appeals
Age: 50
Contact Information: www.
JerryTao.org
Record of Service: Currently
serve as a Judge, Nevada Court
of Appeals (appointed by Gov-
ernor Sandoval in 2015); Served
as Judge, 8th Judicial District
Court, 2011-2015; Also served
as a Deputy District Attorney
(criminal prosecutor) for Clark
County
Education: J.D., with honors,
George Washington Univer-
sity Law School; B.S., Cornell
University
Platform: Nevada’s court
system is too clogged, too slow,
and far too expensive, to the
point where the average Ne-
vadan dreads having anything
to do with it. During my three
years serving as a Judge on the
Court of Appeals, we’ve devel-
oped some ideas on how to pro-
cess appeals quickly, while also
achieving fairness and justice
and simultaneously lowering
costs, that have made the Court
of Appeals one of the most effi-
cient and respected courts in the
State. I plan on bringing these
insights to the Supreme Court in
an effort to make justice more af-
fordable and accessible to more
Nevadans.
Qualifications: I will bring
a range of experience to the
Supreme Court that no other
candidate has. I’m the only can-
didate to have served as a Court
of Appeals Judge, District Court
Judge, criminal prosecutor, and
civil trial attorney. Since being
appointed to the Court of Ap-
peals in 2015, I have participated
in handling more than 2,700 ap-
peals of all kinds from every cor-
ner of the state — which is 2,700
more than any other candidate
in this race. Through my prior
service as a criminal prosecutor,
I gained valuable insight into
the criminal justice system that
I plan on bringing with me to
the Supreme Court. I’m proud to
be the only candidate endorsed
by the Clark County Prosecu-
tors’ Association and by Attor-
ney General Adam Laxalt, and I
hope that you’ll support me too.