Panel sites delays by LV judge

CARSON CITY -- The state Judicial Discipline Commission Monday filed charges against Clark County District Judge Gloria Sanchez, accusing her of delaying final decisions in three cases for up to 19 months.

Sanchez, a Family Court judge, has 20 days to answer the complaint to contest the allegations. She could not be reached for comment.

The complaint, signed by Las Vegas attorney Fred Gibson who represented the Discipline Commission, said in a divorce case titled "Leysath vs. Leysath," Sanchez orally announced her decision on Nov. 7, 1995. But the final divorce decree was not signed until June 18, 1997.

In another case titled "Johnson vs. Johnson," Sanchez took the case under submission on June 23, 1995, but didn't decide the matter until Jan. 17, 1997.

The complaint, Sanchez said, delayed a final decision in the divorce case of Callahan vs. Callahan. She orally decided issues in the case in March 1996 and on Oct. 30, 1996, but the formal written orders were not made until March 12, 1997.

The complaint said the acts committed by Sanchez warrant disciplinary action. In a prior case, the Discipline Commission publicly reprimanded former Family Court Judge Terrance Marren and fined him $1,000 for failing to file prompt decisions in three cases.

The canon of ethics for judges says "A judge shall dispose of all judicial matters promptly, efficiently and fairly."

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