36 apply for three seats on newly created Nevada appeals court

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014 | 10:30 p.m.

Thirty-six lawyers have applied for the three vacant seats on the newly approved Nevada Court of Appeals in Las Vegas.

Wednesday at 5 p.m. was the deadline for applications and the state Judicial Selection Commission will meet next month to interview the applicants and will recommend to Gov. Brian Sandoval three names for each vacant seat. Sandoval will make the final selection.

By the 5 p.m. deadline, the website of the commission listed applicants for each of the three departments.

Seeking the post on Department 1 of the appeals court are Jerome T. Tao, Janet Pancoast, Robert Gaston, Robert A. Nersesian, David Hardy, Chris W. Davis and Michael D. Davidson, Julien G. Sourwine, Janet L. Chubb and Kirby J. Smith..

Department 2 applicants are Susan Holland Johnson, Thomas D. Beatty III, Michelle L. Morgando, Richard Wayne Sears, William Gonzales, Anat R. Levy, Alan J. Lefebvre, Kerry Z. Malone, Michael Gibbons and Thomas G. Kurtz.

Those applying for Department 3 are Abbi Silver, Aurora Maria Maskall, Joan Chisholm Wright, C. Stanley Hunterson, Paul Dee Johnson, Aaron D. Lovaas, Karl Armstrong, Barry Louis Breslow, Joseph R. Plater, Douglas R. Rands and Allan R. Earl, Michael Montero, James Shields Beasley, Brian Hunzi, Annie J. Kung and Jeffrey Albregts.

Voters approved a constitutional amendment creating the appeals court. The choses justices will each serve a six-year term and then run for election.

Earlier Wednesday the state Board of Examiners gave preliminary approval to a request $782,500 to finance the new court through June 30. That must be approved by the Legislative Interim Finance Committee.

Supreme Court Justice James Hardesty told the examiners board that the 2013 Legislature had set aside the money in a special category to use if voters approved the constitutional amendment.

Supporters of the appeals court said this will speed up the decision making of contested cases. It will permit the Supreme Court to concentrate on the more important cases and allow faster rulings.

The Selection Commission will post the background of the applicants by Friday on its website.