Gibbons files for Supreme Court

The brother of Douglas County District Judge Michael Gibbons filed for Supreme Court on Thursday.

Las Vegas District Judge Mark Gibbons filed for the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Cliff Young.

Young is retiring from the court after 18 years with the high court.

Gibbons, 51, is completing his first term as a Clark County district judge. He said he wants to help continue the work the court has done speeding the appellate process. He said one idea is to create a third three-judge panel to hear cases that don't warrant a hearing by the full seven-member Supreme Court.

To do so, he suggested using "senior" judges -- those who are retired from full time on the bench but veterans who are still available for periodic service at the district or Supreme Court level.

He said he would also like the court to examine standards more like those used in federal court giving district judges more power to resolve cases before they go to trial.

Gibbons received the second highest rating of any Clark County judge in a survey of that county's lawyers.

He has handled more than 100 trials in his six years on the bench, including 13 murder trials. Among the high profile cases has has handled is that against Jessica Williams whose car ran out of control and hit a group of teens working as a road crew picking up trash. Six of them died.

That case is on appeal over the constitutionality of the Nevada law declaring anyone with any amount of a controlled substance in their blood is impaired and under the influence.

Gibbons said he will make his home in Carson City, not Las Vegas, if elected.

If he replaces Young, six of the seven Supreme Court justices will have come from the Clark County district court system in Las Vegas. The seventh is Deborah Agosti who was a Washoe County district judge before her election to the high court.

Gibbons said he has already raised nearly $200,000 for his campaign.