oh yeah, like it's the right wingers in america who think that it's a good idea to elect judges. right. sure. hey 10:20, let me introduce you to the plaintiffs' bar.

get your facts straight before blaming the "right winger[ers]."

10:31, a little overly defensive, aren't we? I don't think 10:20 called out the right wing here in the US ... they simply asserted that the right wing in Canada thought it was a bad idea to elect judges.

... and what exactly are right "wingerers"?

Billy, I understand she seems like a detestable sort, but why the constant denigrations of her size. One fat reference, fine, this is a gossip sheet, but 5 plus?

Dan,

Normally I would agree with you, but anyone this large is pretty much asking to be ridiculed on account of their size, no questions asked.

Dear Canada,

The feds have figured it out, but not all of the states have. One of the drawbacks of federalism is that we have to put up with this. One of the advantages is that the states that don't elect their judges have situations like this to help them understand why they have the right idea.

Love, the United States

Dear BSA,

Canada's post was only 21 words, but you seem to have stopped reading after the first 14. Get a clue. People like you embarrass us abroad and contribute to the stereotype of the ugly American. Please renounce your citizenship and surrender your passport at your convenience.

Love, the United States

why would any man touch one hefty acre of her body? especially one that's not her husband.

why would any man touch one hefty acre of her body? especially one that's not her husband.

why would any man touch one hefty acre of her body? especially one that's not her husband.

does it count as a massage if you're only pushing around roles of fat?

oh come on, we all know that the right wing loves the idea of elected judges, always with the claim that electing judges gets us over the countermajoritarian problem and stymies "judicial activism"

if she were thin, they'd be calling her diva left and right.

I must have missed something...what does are weight have to do with her judicial incompetance? If she were thin her conduct would magically become better?

when democracy goes horribly wrong...

fat people are the spawn of satan and deserve to burn in hell.

Fatty, Fatty, two-by-four; Can't fit through the courtroom door! Regardless of her size, her behavior is disgusting!

next election people should run loyola2L against her

Other than simple shock value, I assume the interest-worthy element of her size is the fact that someone of this size (and presumed unattractiveness) was making a subordinate rub her back and her feet.

In more pleasant matters, there is a Hugo Boss sale on June 17-21 at 317 West 33rd Street, NYC
(Just west of 8th Avenue)

12:13: would it be any less offensive if she was thin? I'm with 11:14 - everybody would think this was delicious behavior if she was attractive. Enough with the frigging fat comments - there's no cheaper shot around.

Thanks for the tip on the HB sale, though!

I clerked one summer at a Nevada firm and it was pretty appalling how miserable the level of practice is. The fact that judges are elected doesn't help either (or the fact that there is no appeals court besides the state supreme court... yeah, often we would look to CA law for guidance where there was no Nevada law... you know your in trouble when you look to CA for "good" law). I once had an attorney there tell me that the bar was so low you couldn't even trip over it.
This story is emblematic of Nevada practice in general. Just a backwater sort of jurisdiction. The good news is that your a decent attorney, life is pretty good just rollin' around clubbing incompetent opposing counsel left and right. And there are good attorneys, they're just at a few select firms (which in some ways doesn't make Nevada that much difference than anywhere else).

2:06--Personal experience?

Wow 2:06, tell us how you REALLY feel...

"425 pounds (according to her driver's license"?

No chance; the woman is 600+ is she is a pound. (See comments at http://www.abovethelaw.com/2007/05/judge_of_the_day_elizabeth_hal_1.php, which are incorporated herein by reference).

Regarding the Judge’s claim (as I understand the report) that her bailiff VOLUNTARILY rubbed her feet: No chance in hell that is true. (What can else can you say about a sitting judge who refers to her husband in front of court staff as “Bitch”?

On the reason why the Las Vegas electorate voted in a judge whose sole prior judicial qualification was 9 years as a law clerk, I have a theory.

Think Sanjaya Malakar of American Idol fame. In other words, it was all a huge joke. And I do mean H-U-G-E.

How many whole chicken-fryers does this woman consume in a 24 hours period? It boggles the mind.

Can we get Loyola2L to run against her?

Were is Loyola 2L, anyhow?

in response to 12:29-- I agree, a judge should never be allowed to force subordinates of opposite to sex to rub them anywhere, but the media clearly picked up on this story because of the added "ick" factor owing to her size. There is something almost "evil stepmother" about the story. In fact, if not for her size, the poor employee might not have been believed that it was non-consensual.

2:26: That was funny as hell.

California Judges have been removed for far less egregious misbehavior in chambers. Where is the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline in all of this?

Stay tuned…………….

http://www.mercklaw.com/images/stories/billydoorsmall.jpg

Not exactly pot and kettle, but BM isn't exactly svelte

Hmmmm.

I thnk they miht make a cute couple, 4:16.

Hmmmm.

I thnk they might make a cute couple, 4:16.

Of course Halverson is “big boned”. How else could her frame support 600 pounds?

PS: I don’t believe the DMV weight info. Unless it is 4 years old.

A lot of BigMacs over the bridge since then.....

I think all of us, fat and skinny alike, can agree that there are few things more pathetic than people who have to make fun of fat people online to make them feel better about themselves.

Dear 8:56:

Love the halo.

For your information, I went to LS with 8:56, and she is not fat, only big boned.

Yeah, Billy Merck, people who live in fat houses...

What, just because you don't ride around in a motorized cart -- yet -- you think you're better than her?

It depends on who "her" is.

From 12:59: "The good news is that your a decent attorney, life is pretty good just rollin' around clubbing incompetent opposing counsel left and right."

I think this sounds delightfully fun. Club the incompetent lawyers (and save the baby seals)!

I have an idea on where to look for those missing orders...alternatively, there may be a reason why the "orders" observation immediately follows the "lunch" one...in which case I have more than an idea on where they may have (allegedly) gone to.

Maybe Judge Elizabeth Halverson will hire me as her new bailiff.

Or eat me and put me out of my misery

May. 28, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

JANE ANN MORRISON: Judge just doesn't see failure to treat people with dignity, respect
JANE ANN MORRISON

The District Judge Elizabeth Halverson saga is starting to creep beyond the borders of Nevada and into the California news media, while locally the docudrama is the first thing many of us read each day. When they make a TV special of it, I'd like to suggest a name: Power and Paranoia.

Halverson spent nine years as a fairly lowly law clerk. (I always assumed the 425-pound woman, according to her driver's license, stayed as long as she could for the county's health insurance coverage.) After she was fired, she ran for one judgeship, lost, but in 2006 won on her second try.

Before long, stories started coming out of the Regional Justice Center about her contemptuous behavior toward her staff, particularly her bailiff, Johnny Jordan. Halverson, who had never had real power, was relishing it, throwing a pencil on the floor and ordering him to pick it up. Jordan was ordered to give her foot rubs and back massages. He has since filed a complaint against his former boss alleging discrimination based on sex and race. He is black and says she treated him like a "house boy."

Her court clerk, Katherine Streuber, said the judge's behavior was "vile, angry, degrading to anyone within her path." Streuber also objected to being called "the evil one" and "the anti-Christ" by the judge. (We in the news business hear that every other day, but courthouse employees are unaccustomed.)

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Court officials realized they were going to be slapped with multiple lawsuits alleging hostile work environment if no action was taken. Three judges were asked to help Halverson, Family Court Judge Art Ritchie and District Judges Stewart Bell and Sally Loehrer.

A memo details an April 6 meeting between Halverson and the three judges:

• She's told it's inappropriate to have staff rub her feet or her back. Her answer: She'd told the bailiff to stop that, that he'd become too familiar with her.

• She's told she should not require staff to show up at 6:45 a.m. to wait for her arrival at 8 or 8:30 a.m. Her answer: She'd told the bailiff not to come early, but he wouldn't listen.

• She's told she should not have staff make her lunch. Answer: The bailiff wants to make her lunch.

• She's told there are 20-25 orders missing. Answer: She's shocked.

• She's told it's unethical to make statements showing bias against attorneys, particularly those who didn't give to her campaign. Answer: Yes, she said it, but since nobody gave her money for her campaign, she's not discriminating against anyone.

• She's told the demeaning way she talks to her husband, Ed, referring to him as a "bitch" (and worse), is offensive to staff. Answer: She doesn't know why that would upset the staff, but the solution is to have him not come to her chambers.

• Told she should treat people with dignity and respect, Halverson said she didn't know specifically what she was doing wrong.

After she answered every allegation made against her, Judge Bell told her, "If you can't see it, you can't fix it. Get some psychological help."

On April 12, the three judges tried to meet with Halverson again at 4:30 p.m. She was in a civil nonjury trial. The three judges waited until 6 p.m. before leaving. Later, the judges said they confirmed her trial was over, but she waited in the courtroom until she confirmed they had departed. The judges said Halverson will "falsely" claim she was in trial. Essentially, the judges called her a liar.

Buoyed by power, convinced everyone is against her, Elizabeth Halverson, 49, has achieved what seems to be her heart's desire: She is the center of attention. She's page one news, and she leads the nightly television news.

The voters now know Elizabeth Halverson, but she has 18 months left on the bench before they can vote her out of office. That's too long a wait. The Judicial Discipline Commission, which has the power to remove her from office, cannot confirm if a complaint has been filed. However, I'm told investigators are now working a complaint against her.

Meanwhile, everyone who voted for her can enjoy the circus under the big tent we call the Regional Justice Center.

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

DISTRICT COURT: Report pans Halverson

Bailiff says he felt like 'house boy'

By K.C. HOWARD

Bailiff Johnny Jordan made District Judge Elizabeth Halverson's ice water just right.
But getting it to the correct temperature through the perfect ratio of ice to water was one of the judge's lesser demands, according to a HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC WEDNESDAY.
Jordan said Halverson made him feel like a "HOUSE BOY," according to the report.
Halverson, who uses a motorized wheelchair, had Jordan put her shoes on for her, rub her feet and give her back massages.

He had to make sure her oxygen tank was filled appropriately and was required to clean the FLOORS OF HER CHAMBER WHEN IT WAS LITTERED WITH SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND COOKIE CRUMBS.
"Johnny is ordered to cover her up with a blanket when she lies down," the report states.
Halverson's mother asked her once, "Is he your servant?"
HALVERSON HAD ASKED JORDAN, "DO YOU WANT TO WORSHIP ME FROM NEAR OR AFAR?"
He and other former staffers said Halverson demeaned her staff daily and created a hostile work environment that affected the health of at least two staff members.
And that's just part of the very unflattering picture painted in affidavits, memos and interviews with human resources included in Chief Judge Kathy Hardcastle's response to the lawsuit Halverson filed against her last week. Halverson wants the Nevada Supreme Court to reverse measures Hardcastle has taken against her since April.
The justices will review Hardcastle's response and decide whether to have a hearing on Halverson's allegation that Hardcastle overstepped her authority.
In her filing, Hardcastle told the justices she was forced to take action for numerous reasons, including Halverson's "seemingly volatile, angry, paranoid and bizarre behavior toward staff."
ACCORDING TO DOCUMENTS INCLUDED IN THE RESPONSE, HALVERSON CALLED HER COURT CLERK "EVIL ONE" AND "ANTI-CHRIST." SHE CALLED HER JUDICIAL EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT "AN IDIOT," CALLED A LAWYER "A LIAR," REFERRED TO BAILIFFS AS "BITCHES," CALLED HER HUSBAND DEROGATORY NAMES IN FRONT OF STAFF AND ANSWERED HER PHONE PRETENDING TO BE HER LAW CLERK.
At one point during an April 6 meeting between Halverson and a panel of veteran judges Hardcastle had asked to give Halverson guidance, Judge Sally Loehrer recommended Halverson seek professional help to understand how she treats people. HALVERSON STATED SHE WAS CONSIDERING A BUSINESS COACH TO COMMUNICATE BETTER.
"JUDGE HALVERSON IS RE-DIRECTED TO CONSIDER THE HELP OF EITHER A PSYCHIATRIST OR A PSYCHOLOGIST," THE HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT STATED.
In District Judge Stewart Bell's affidavit, one of the many attachments submitted by Hardcastle to the state's high court, Bell wrote that courthouse staff had "made allegations which, if sustained, would amount to violations of law, county policy and union contracts. We believed that we had a duty to take immediate action to protect Judge Halverson and bailiff Jordan as well as to protect the county from potential future liability."
Hardcastle told the justices that people who work at the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas "simply had no idea how far she was willing to carry her conduct. In light of the numerous other complaints regarding her behavior, there were legitimate concerns about the safety of those in the Courthouse."
Through her spokeswoman, Halverson declined to comment for this article. Halverson's attorney had not yet read Hardcastle's filing late Wednesday and chose not to comment.
In addition to requiring that Halverson to seek guidance from a panel of veteran judges, Hardcastle took Halverson's criminal cases away from her.
On May 11, she barred Halverson from the Regional Justice Center after learning she put courthouse security at risk when she violated security protocols and brought in two bodyguards to secured areas of the courthouse. After Halverson filed her writ, the state Supreme Court ruled on May 17 that Halverson could return to work provided she followed the courthouse's security rules.
"The only thing we ever wanted was for her to meet with the committee (of judges) to address the security concerns and the various issues," Hardcastle said Wednesday. "That's all we want. These are critical issues. They need to be addressed. She needs to be willing to address them."
In her writ, Halverson has said she needed private bodyguards after courthouse officials removed Jordan from her courtroom, whom she said did not want to leave.
But the human resources report and affidavits signed by judges tell a different story: Jordan has filed a discrimination complaint against Halverson and cannot be replaced until that complaint is resolved, court officials said.
Halverson has argued Hardcastle has a vendetta against her.
After being a District Court law clerk for nine years, Halverson was fired in 2004 by Hardcastle, who said the position is supposed to be temporary.
Halverson then ran against Hardcastle's husband for a family court judgeship. She lost, started her own firm and then won election to the department 23 District Court bench in November.
Because Halverson had VIRTUALLY NO TRIAL EXPERIENCE, Hardcastle asked her to meet with veteran judges when complaints about Halverson's performance from attorneys began to arise, the chief judge said.
Hardcastle has argued that the state Supreme Court has deemed her position to be that of a "strong chief judge" with wide-ranging authority. In her response to Halverson's writ, Hardcastle and the state attorney general representing her argue Hardcastle supervises the court administration, which handles court security. She also has the duty to adopt regulations necessary to provide for the orderly conduct of the court.
Halverson "is very disruptive on the court and has an effect on courthouse morale," Hardcastle said.
But Halverson and her lawyers, Bill Gamage and Dominic Gentile, have said Hardcastle has no authority to punish judges, which is what the chief judge has done by prohibiting her from performing her elected duties and taking her caseload. Only the state Commission on Judicial Discipline can take punitive measures against her.
After the April 6 meeting with Halverson's staff, the three veteran judges, Bell, Loehrer and Art Ritchie, met with Halverson.
In the affidavit Halverson filed with the Nevada Supreme Court, she recalls that, "The judges proceeded to berate me stating that charges would be brought with judicial discipline, that I would be removed from the bench."
Bell's statement said they simply tried to warn Halverson that the judicial discipline commission could remove her -- but she wouldn't listen.
Problems with her court continued and a meeting with the veteran judges was scheduled for April 12, Bell said. They waited two hours for Halverson, who did not show. When the judges realized no mentoring was going to take place they recommended Hardcastle take Halverson's criminal cases away and give her only civil cases.
The report the judges gave to Hardcastle cited performance issues, such as "TALKING DIRECTLY TO DELIBERATING JURIES, RESTRUCTURING CRIMINAL TRIAL SETTINGS TO MAKE PERFORMANCE FOR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE, SLEEPING IN COURT, ETC."
Her staff also complained THEIR DUTIES INCLUDED KEEPING HALVERSON AWAKE in court.
Rumors circulated throughout the courthouse that Halverson HAD FALLEN ASLEEP ON THE BENCH DURING HER FIRST CRIMINAL TRIAL. She told the Review-Journal that she had been taking an allergy medication because the lighting in the courtroom gave her headaches. SHE SAID THE MEDICATION MADE HER "ZONE OUT" BRIEFLY but she hadn't missed any part of the trial.
"The judge was not taking new medication," her former court clerk Kathy Streuber wrote in a memo to court officials. "She had stayed up late the night before doing her own briefs, as she stated her law clerk, Lisa Carroll, was worthless and didn't know what she was doing."
Her former staff members also complained that Halverson was paranoid of court administration. HALVERSON WAS AFRAID HARDCASTLE WAS SPYING ON HER THROUGH THE COURT AUDIO AND VISUAL RECORDING SYSTEM, THEY SAID.
Shortly after taking office, HALVERSON HAD STREUBER, SWEAR IN HER JUDICIAL EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, ILEEN SPOOR.
Spoor had previously been an assistant to District Judge Michael Cherry. HALVERSON ASKED HER, UNDER OATH, WHEN THE LAST TIME SHE SPOKE TO THE NOW SUPREME COURT JUDGE AND WHETHER SHE MADE ANY MEAN REMARKS ABOUT HALVERSON to him, according to Hardcastle's filing.
That same day, HALVERSON HAD STREUBER SWEAR IN HALVERSON'S HUSBAND SO HALVERSON COULD ASK HIM, UNDER OATH, WHETHER HE HAD ADEQUATELY CLEANED THEIR HOUSE FOR HER MOTHER'S UPCOMING VISIT, Streuber noted to court officials.

[Poster’s Note: Cleaning Judge Halverson’s house is probably no simple chore—According to a January news article “Halverson's yard is cluttered. A decrepit golf cart squats in a corner, a sheet of plywood leaning against it under a bush with red berries. As a result of the mess, the newly elected judge's house has been declared a public nuisance by Clark County.” (See http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LVRB&p_theme=lvrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=116AD6C8F9018180&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM.)]

Streuber requested and received a transfer and is still employed in the courthouse.
Halverson's prior court recorder, Richard Kangas, who also asked for a transferred from her department, said Halverson is brilliant and will be a great asset to the bench. But he also said her treatment of people is horrible, according to the human resources report. Kangas said HALVERSON WOULD MAKE INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS THAT HE HAD TO RECORD AS PART OF THE RECORD AND SHE TRIED TO GET HIM TO TAKE THOSE STATEMENTS OUT OF THE RECORD on more than one occasion, which he could not do.
Kangas is now working for newly appointed District Judge David Barker.
Halverson fired Spoor May 8. She is now employed by the county as a roving assistant. Carroll has resigned her position and no longer works at the courthouse.
As for Jordan, he did not provide an affidavit for Hardcastle's response because he has been hospitalized for reasons that court officials declined to disclose.

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

DISTRICT COURT: Report pans Halverson

Bailiff says he felt like 'house boy'

By K.C. HOWARD

Bailiff Johnny Jordan made District Judge Elizabeth Halverson's ice water just right.
But getting it to the correct temperature through the perfect ratio of ice to water was one of the judge's lesser demands, according to a HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC WEDNESDAY.
Jordan said Halverson made him feel like a "HOUSE BOY," according to the report.
Halverson, who uses a motorized wheelchair, had Jordan put her shoes on for her, rub her feet and give her back massages.

He had to make sure her oxygen tank was filled appropriately and was required to clean the FLOORS OF HER CHAMBER WHEN IT WAS LITTERED WITH SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND COOKIE CRUMBS.
"Johnny is ordered to cover her up with a blanket when she lies down," the report states.
Halverson's mother asked her once, "Is he your servant?"
HALVERSON HAD ASKED JORDAN, "DO YOU WANT TO WORSHIP ME FROM NEAR OR AFAR?"
He and other former staffers said Halverson demeaned her staff daily and created a hostile work environment that affected the health of at least two staff members.
And that's just part of the very unflattering picture painted in affidavits, memos and interviews with human resources included in Chief Judge Kathy Hardcastle's response to the lawsuit Halverson filed against her last week. Halverson wants the Nevada Supreme Court to reverse measures Hardcastle has taken against her since April.
The justices will review Hardcastle's response and decide whether to have a hearing on Halverson's allegation that Hardcastle overstepped her authority.
In her filing, Hardcastle told the justices she was forced to take action for numerous reasons, including Halverson's "seemingly volatile, angry, paranoid and bizarre behavior toward staff."
ACCORDING TO DOCUMENTS INCLUDED IN THE RESPONSE, HALVERSON CALLED HER COURT CLERK "EVIL ONE" AND "ANTI-CHRIST." SHE CALLED HER JUDICIAL EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT "AN IDIOT," CALLED A LAWYER "A LIAR," REFERRED TO BAILIFFS AS "BITCHES," CALLED HER HUSBAND DEROGATORY NAMES IN FRONT OF STAFF AND ANSWERED HER PHONE PRETENDING TO BE HER LAW CLERK.
At one point during an April 6 meeting between Halverson and a panel of veteran judges Hardcastle had asked to give Halverson guidance, Judge Sally Loehrer recommended Halverson seek professional help to understand how she treats people. HALVERSON STATED SHE WAS CONSIDERING A BUSINESS COACH TO COMMUNICATE BETTER.
"JUDGE HALVERSON IS RE-DIRECTED TO CONSIDER THE HELP OF EITHER A PSYCHIATRIST OR A PSYCHOLOGIST," THE HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT STATED.
In District Judge Stewart Bell's affidavit, one of the many attachments submitted by Hardcastle to the state's high court, Bell wrote that courthouse staff had "made allegations which, if sustained, would amount to violations of law, county policy and union contracts. We believed that we had a duty to take immediate action to protect Judge Halverson and bailiff Jordan as well as to protect the county from potential future liability."
Hardcastle told the justices that people who work at the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas "simply had no idea how far she was willing to carry her conduct. In light of the numerous other complaints regarding her behavior, there were legitimate concerns about the safety of those in the Courthouse."
Through her spokeswoman, Halverson declined to comment for this article. Halverson's attorney had not yet read Hardcastle's filing late Wednesday and chose not to comment.
In addition to requiring that Halverson to seek guidance from a panel of veteran judges, Hardcastle took Halverson's criminal cases away from her.
On May 11, she barred Halverson from the Regional Justice Center after learning she put courthouse security at risk when she violated security protocols and brought in two bodyguards to secured areas of the courthouse. After Halverson filed her writ, the state Supreme Court ruled on May 17 that Halverson could return to work provided she followed the courthouse's security rules.
"The only thing we ever wanted was for her to meet with the committee (of judges) to address the security concerns and the various issues," Hardcastle said Wednesday. "That's all we want. These are critical issues. They need to be addressed. She needs to be willing to address them."
In her writ, Halverson has said she needed private bodyguards after courthouse officials removed Jordan from her courtroom, whom she said did not want to leave.
But the human resources report and affidavits signed by judges tell a different story: Jordan has filed a discrimination complaint against Halverson and cannot be replaced until that complaint is resolved, court officials said.
Halverson has argued Hardcastle has a vendetta against her.
After being a District Court law clerk for nine years, Halverson was fired in 2004 by Hardcastle, who said the position is supposed to be temporary.
Halverson then ran against Hardcastle's husband for a family court judgeship. She lost, started her own firm and then won election to the department 23 District Court bench in November.
Because Halverson had VIRTUALLY NO TRIAL EXPERIENCE, Hardcastle asked her to meet with veteran judges when complaints about Halverson's performance from attorneys began to arise, the chief judge said.
Hardcastle has argued that the state Supreme Court has deemed her position to be that of a "strong chief judge" with wide-ranging authority. In her response to Halverson's writ, Hardcastle and the state attorney general representing her argue Hardcastle supervises the court administration, which handles court security. She also has the duty to adopt regulations necessary to provide for the orderly conduct of the court.
Halverson "is very disruptive on the court and has an effect on courthouse morale," Hardcastle said.
But Halverson and her lawyers, Bill Gamage and Dominic Gentile, have said Hardcastle has no authority to punish judges, which is what the chief judge has done by prohibiting her from performing her elected duties and taking her caseload. Only the state Commission on Judicial Discipline can take punitive measures against her.
After the April 6 meeting with Halverson's staff, the three veteran judges, Bell, Loehrer and Art Ritchie, met with Halverson.
In the affidavit Halverson filed with the Nevada Supreme Court, she recalls that, "The judges proceeded to berate me stating that charges would be brought with judicial discipline, that I would be removed from the bench."
Bell's statement said they simply tried to warn Halverson that the judicial discipline commission could remove her -- but she wouldn't listen.
Problems with her court continued and a meeting with the veteran judges was scheduled for April 12, Bell said. They waited two hours for Halverson, who did not show. When the judges realized no mentoring was going to take place they recommended Hardcastle take Halverson's criminal cases away and give her only civil cases.
The report the judges gave to Hardcastle cited performance issues, such as "TALKING DIRECTLY TO DELIBERATING JURIES, RESTRUCTURING CRIMINAL TRIAL SETTINGS TO MAKE PERFORMANCE FOR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE, SLEEPING IN COURT, ETC."
Her staff also complained THEIR DUTIES INCLUDED KEEPING HALVERSON AWAKE in court.
Rumors circulated throughout the courthouse that Halverson HAD FALLEN ASLEEP ON THE BENCH DURING HER FIRST CRIMINAL TRIAL. She told the Review-Journal that she had been taking an allergy medication because the lighting in the courtroom gave her headaches. SHE SAID THE MEDICATION MADE HER "ZONE OUT" BRIEFLY but she hadn't missed any part of the trial.
"The judge was not taking new medication," her former court clerk Kathy Streuber wrote in a memo to court officials. "She had stayed up late the night before doing her own briefs, as she stated her law clerk, Lisa Carroll, was worthless and didn't know what she was doing."
Her former staff members also complained that Halverson was paranoid of court administration. HALVERSON WAS AFRAID HARDCASTLE WAS SPYING ON HER THROUGH THE COURT AUDIO AND VISUAL RECORDING SYSTEM, THEY SAID.
Shortly after taking office, HALVERSON HAD STREUBER, SWEAR IN HER JUDICIAL EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, ILEEN SPOOR.
Spoor had previously been an assistant to District Judge Michael Cherry. HALVERSON ASKED HER, UNDER OATH, WHEN THE LAST TIME SHE SPOKE TO THE NOW SUPREME COURT JUDGE AND WHETHER SHE MADE ANY MEAN REMARKS ABOUT HALVERSON to him, according to Hardcastle's filing.
That same day, HALVERSON HAD STREUBER SWEAR IN HALVERSON'S HUSBAND SO HALVERSON COULD ASK HIM, UNDER OATH, WHETHER HE HAD ADEQUATELY CLEANED THEIR HOUSE FOR HER MOTHER'S UPCOMING VISIT, Streuber noted to court officials.

[Poster’s Note: Cleaning Judge Halverson’s house is probably no simple chore—According to a January news article “Halverson's yard is cluttered. A decrepit golf cart squats in a corner, a sheet of plywood leaning against it under a bush with red berries. As a result of the mess, the newly elected judge's house has been declared a public nuisance by Clark County.” (See http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LVRB&p_theme=lvrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=116AD6C8F9018180&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM.)]

Streuber requested and received a transfer and is still employed in the courthouse.
Halverson's prior court recorder, Richard Kangas, who also asked for a transferred from her department, said Halverson is brilliant and will be a great asset to the bench. But he also said her treatment of people is horrible, according to the human resources report. Kangas said HALVERSON WOULD MAKE INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS THAT HE HAD TO RECORD AS PART OF THE RECORD AND SHE TRIED TO GET HIM TO TAKE THOSE STATEMENTS OUT OF THE RECORD on more than one occasion, which he could not do.
Kangas is now working for newly appointed District Judge David Barker.
Halverson fired Spoor May 8. She is now employed by the county as a roving assistant. Carroll has resigned her position and no longer works at the courthouse.
As for Jordan, he did not provide an affidavit for Hardcastle's response because he has been hospitalized for reasons that court officials declined to disclose.

HALVERSON CAMPAIGN VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ3ygB30ULo

http://www.halverson4judge.com/bio/

“Elizabeth was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. SHE WAS ALSO CHEERLEADER in her junior high years. In high school, at Saint Rose Academy, a college preparatory school for girls, Elizabeth was an honors student. Elizabeth also had a passion for sports and revived the school's women's basketball program as the program manager. She lettered in basketball.”

Judge's yard judged a mess

County says 'junk, trash and debris' make Halverson's house a nuisance

By MOLLY BALL
REVIEW-JOURNAL

The home of District Judge Elizabeth Halverson, as seen Friday, has been declared a public nuisance by Clark County.
Photo by Isaac Brekken/Review-Journal

Elizabeth Halverson
District judge says she doesn't know what she's supposed to remove from her yard
District Judge Elizabeth Halverson's yard is cluttered. A decrepit golf cart squats in a corner, a sheet of plywood leaning against it under a bush with red berries.
As a result of the mess, the newly elected judge's house has been declared a public nuisance by Clark County. If she does not clean it up, the county will do it for her and could assess up to $10,000 in fines.

According to documents obtained by the Review-Journal, the county's Public Response Office received an anonymous complaint about the one-story property near U.S. Highway 95 and Tropicana Avenue in late November. A county inspector went to the property and found "an accumulation of junk, trash and debris," including "campaign signs stacked on the lawn."

A subsequent inspection in late December found "little or no change" to the property's condition, and a civil abatement notice was issued.

This week, Halverson informed the office that she was appealing the nuisance determination. In a faxed letter, she contests the designation, saying that it is vague; that it is based on rules she contends are unconstitutional; that proper procedure wasn't followed; and that her rights were violated, including her First Amendment right to political free speech. Each word in the letter is capitalized.

Halverson said Friday that she wanted to cooperate with the county but didn't understand how to do so.
"I do not know what they want me to remove, what it is that's offending them, and they won't tell me," she said.

But the inspector's report lists several specifics, such as the golf cart, equipment stored on the driveway, a trailer blocking the sidewalk, and trash near the door and "in the southeast part of the yard near the golf cart."

In addition, an e-mail from a county staffer to District Attorney David Roger notes that Halverson has had experience with the nuisance process.
"It turns out that this is the 3rd case PRO (the Public Response Office) has had with the property," the e-mail states.
Halverson, who uses a wheelchair, said that she was unable to move the offending objects herself and that her husband wouldn't move them.
"As a disabled person with limited mobility, I don't physically move anything in my home," she said. "No matter what you tell anyone to do, that doesn't mean they'll do it."
A man who said he was Halverson's husband, but who would not give his first name, answered the door at the house Friday and said the mess was being cleaned up.
"The stuff that's at issue is going into storage," he said. He would not comment further.
However, the county's unsuccessful attempts over the past six weeks to get the Halversons to voluntarily fix the problem, and the judge's appeal of the nuisance designation, suggest that they are not in a rush to comply with the code.
According to property records, Halverson is the sole owner of the three-bedroom, two-bathroom, single-story house, which was purchased in 1997 for $123,000. It has a fireplace and a pool and is currently valued at $214,000.
The street, Oxnard Circle, is a small cul-de-sac of houses that could hardly be called manicured. Other houses on the block have debris on their lawns or RVs overhanging the sidewalk.
Rich Isitt, a neighbor with a similarly messy lawn, said of Halverson's house: "It doesn't bother me. I'm a carpenter."
The county code defines a nuisance as "a structure or condition that may cause injury to or endanger the health, life, property or safety of the general public or the occupants."
According to the ordinance, the nature of the problem can range from a structure that "annoys or endangers the comfort or repose of a considerable number of persons" to "vegetation that is offensive to the senses."
The county's chief of code enforcement, Joe Boteilho, said he could not comment on an ongoing nuisance case or confirm that Halverson was the subject of such a proceeding.
In general, Boteilho said, the nuisance abatement process begins with a written complaint, followed by an inspector visit. If a nuisance is found, the property owner -- not any tenant or other resident -- is notified and given at least 15 days to fix the nuisance, after which there is another inspection.
If the nuisance persists, the owner is notified that abatement proceedings are being initiated. Contractors are asked to submit bids of what it would cost to clean up the property.
The abatement can be appealed, at which point it would be heard by a hearing master. A further appeal is possible to the Clark County Commission.
If the appeals fail, a warrant to abate the nuisance is obtained. The offender is billed civil penalties of up to $10,000, which accrue daily throughout the process, or three times the cost of the abatement, whichever is lower. The fine is issued as a special assessment on the property tax bill.
Halverson was elected to a newly created judgeship with 50 percent of the vote, beating her opponent by less than 1 point.
During the campaign, she faced criticism for what some said was a lack of experience. Halverson was a law clerk at the District Court for nine years but has brought few cases before the court herself.

One of Mr. Halverson's many booking photos:

http://media.lvrj.com/images/1822680.jpg

Exhibits filed in nevada Supreme Court in Halverson matter.

Interesting reading!

http://www.nvsupremecourt.us/documents/cases/49453.Answer.Exhibit_Part_1.pdf

Video of incident leading to halverson 911 call and related interviews.

http://www.klas-tv.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=1437507&h1=I-Team%20Exclusive%3A%20Judge%20Halverson%20Videotape&vt1=v&at1=News - Special Coverage&d1=198000&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D6514838&rnd=62837035

More Halverson news tape re defamation suit.

http://www.klas-tv.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=1464092&h1=I-Team%3A%20Halverson%27s%20Judicial%20Assistant%20Files%20Defamation%20Lawsuit&vt1=v&at1=News - Special Coverage&d1=163000&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D6566784%26nav%3Dmenu102_1&rnd=76934405

More disgusting details of Halverson's abuse are revealed in the Nevada Supreme Court exhibits to Judge Hartcastle's answer to Halverson's pending petition.

Johnny Jordan, while confirming the previously published details of his ordeal as Halverson’s courtroom bailiff, also reported to court administration that the corpulent jurist compelled him to prepare her lunch. The disgusting twist: Judge Halverson’s microwave was located in her chambers bathroom, which was often filled with noxious odors—as one might well imagine.

http://www.nvsupremecourt.us/documents/cases/49453.Answer.Exhibit_Part_1.pdf (The file is worth perusing—no way will Halverson not be removed from office.)

Curious about Halverson’s spouse (the husband that her courtroom staff confirmed in the same filing Halverson had sworn in to question him about whether he was cleaning the family abode as ordered), I learned that Edward Lee Halverson, the Judge’s husband of 8 years, not only as a rap sheet as long as your arm, but actually served 4 years of an 8 year prison sentence for burglary. In fact, Mr. Halverson was on parole when the cute couple wed.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/7700407.html

(Judge's husband has long rap sheet--Edward Halverson's past includes at least 10 arrests, prison time, Las Vegas Review-Journal, May. 26, 2007.)

Mug shot here. http://media.lvrj.com/images/1822680.jpg

Which confirms the hypothesis that at 450 lb+ the future judges pool of potential mates was severely limited.

More disgusting details of Halverson's abuse are revealed in the Nevada Supreme Court exhibits to Judge Hartcastle's answer to Halverson's pending petition.

Johnny Jordan, while confirming the previously published details of his ordeal as Halverson’s courtroom bailiff, also reported to court administration that the corpulent jurist compelled him to prepare her lunch. The disgusting twist: Judge Halverson’s microwave was located in her chambers bathroom, which was often filled with noxious odors—as one might well imagine.

http://www.nvsupremecourt.us/documents/cases/49453.Answer.Exhibit_Part_1.pdf (The file is worth perusing—no way will Halverson not be removed from office.)

Curious about Halverson’s spouse (the husband that her courtroom staff confirmed in the same filing Halverson had sworn in to question him about whether he was cleaning the family abode as ordered), I learned that Edward Lee Halverson, the Judge’s husband of 8 years, not only as a rap sheet as long as your arm, but actually served 4 years of an 8 year prison sentence for burglary. In fact, Mr. Halverson was on parole when the cute couple wed.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/7700407.html

(Judge's husband has long rap sheet--Edward Halverson's past includes at least 10 arrests, prison time, Las Vegas Review-Journal, May. 26, 2007.)

Mug shot here. http://media.lvrj.com/images/1822680.jpg

Which confirms the hypothesis that at 450 lb+ the future judges pool of potential mates was severely limited.

More disgusting details of Halverson's abuse are revealed in the Nevada Supreme Court exhibits to Judge Hartcastle's answer to Halverson's pending petition.

Johnny Jordan, while confirming the previously published details of his ordeal as Halverson’s courtroom bailiff, also reported to court administration that the corpulent jurist compelled him to prepare her lunch. The disgusting twist: Judge Halverson’s microwave was located in her chambers bathroom, which was often filled with noxious odors—as one might well imagine.

http://www.nvsupremecourt.us/documents/cases/49453.Answer.Exhibit_Part_1.pdf (The file is worth perusing—no way will Halverson not be removed from office.)

Curious about Halverson’s spouse (the husband that her courtroom staff confirmed in the same filing Halverson had sworn in to question him about whether he was cleaning the family abode as ordered), I learned that Edward Lee Halverson, the Judge’s husband of 8 years, not only as a rap sheet as long as your arm, but actually served 4 years of an 8 year prison sentence for burglary. In fact, Mr. Halverson was on parole when the cute couple wed.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/7700407.html

(Judge's husband has long rap sheet--Edward Halverson's past includes at least 10 arrests, prison time, Las Vegas Review-Journal, May. 26, 2007.)

Mug shot here. http://media.lvrj.com/images/1822680.jpg

Which confirms the hypothesis that at 450 lb+ the future judge's pool of potential mates was severely limited.

The following story can be found this link:

http://www.lvrj.com/news/7700407.html

JUDGE'S HUSBAND HAS LONG RAP SHEET
Edward Halverson's past includes at least 10 arrests, prison time

I asked one of the Las Vegas televison stations why Judge's Halverson's hubby's rap sheet was not getting more coverage and got this reply today:

"We did know about the husband’s criminal history, but his background does not disqualify his wife from sitting on the bench here in Nevada. Also the[] Ethics Commission can’t really hold her husband’s transgressions against her. While it definitely does raise questions about the judge’s decision making and give the impresion of some kind of impropriety, that perception of conflict of interest doesn’t seem to be a concern to anyone involved in this whole debacle. Largely we’ve tried to focus on the Judge herself, her assistant and Judge Hardcastle the 3 main people involved in this whole sordid affair. Also as the paper pointed out, he has recently steered clear of legal troubles, and his wife has been the one in trouble with the law."

Amazing Judge.......

I hope Judge Halverson's bench is reinforced to support her fat body.

Judge Halverson's cereal bowl is so big, it comes with a lifeguard.

When Judge Halverson lays down the law, she puts all of her weight behind it.

They say black is slimming, but not on Judge Halverson.

Fat comments aside, I have read the exhibits to the answer to Halverson's Nevada Supreme Court petition to set aside (among other orders) the reassignment of Halverson's criminal cases to other judges. (Read the evidence here: http://www.nvsupremecourt.us/documents/cases/49453.Answer.Exhibit_Part_1.pdf

Halverson is, well, unique as a judge.

Her home is so filthy it has been declared a public nuance .

Her husband has 3 felony convictions (including burglary and gun charges), has done prision time, and was on parole when the couple wed.

Someone posted a Halverson court room video clip here on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C16fc2iTJ6E

The judge is explaining to counsel in a criminal case that she had just privately interviewed a deliberating jury and why after only 2 hours she was going to declare a hung jury. Wow.

After reading the story and subsequent comments, I am still shaking my head in total disbelief. How is it that this cow...er...woman has been allowed to get away with her actions for so long? It's been said that someone can only victimize you if you allow them to do so, thus, I don't really feel for the complaining bailiff in her court. (Other than the nasty factor that he endured from having to touch her!)

And, she has a husband??? Dayum! That's even more gross!! He must have zero self-esteem. Can you imagine being the husband? When they have intercourse (bad thought, kill me now!), I wonder how he knows if he's "in", or if he's somehow in between 2 rolls of fat? I think it's safe to say that she doesn't sit on his face! Otherwise, he'd be her late husband.

And, wouldn't you absolutely HATE to be that poor scooter?? Egad! There was a program awhile back on the Discovery! channel about the rig that hauled the Space Shuttle from its' hangar to the launch pad. It was several city blocks large, had 4 separate engines, and consumed like 12 gallons of diesel for every 500 feet of travel. Seeing the enormous size of this woman on that poor scooter reminded me of that program.

That's enough for now. I WAS going to try to go to bed since it's so late, but now that those gross/nasty/terrible visions are in my head, sleep will once again escape me.