Hardesty files for Supreme Court

District Judge Jim Hardesty filed Wednesday for the Nevada Supreme Court seat being vacated by Miriam Shearing.

Shearing, the first woman on the Nevada high court, is retiring at the end of this year.

Hardesty, 55, is chief judge in Washoe County. He said he has a number of ideas to improve the court including having judges confer before they hear oral arguments in cases to help "crystallize the issues."

He said the Supreme Court should lead efforts to rewrite jury instructions in civil cases and how to finance the legal system. The court already has a committee looking at ways to fund the court system in Nevada. Hardesty said a "solid business approach" is the answer.

He, like Justice Michael Douglas who filed Monday, said he would have dissented from the opinion in the controversial legislative tax increase case. He said he would have wanted oral arguments.

Although registered as a Democrat, Hardesty has bipartisan support from Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, also a Republican, and prominent Democrats including former governor and U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan.

"As an attorney and a district court judge, Jim has exemplified all of the traits knowledge and character so vital to the role of Supreme Court justice," said Gibbons.

He has raised more than $225,000 for his campaign. He has been a district judge since 1998, handling more than 100 jury trials.

As chief judge, he manages a court budget in Washoe County of more than $12.5 million. He said improved case management has enabled Washoe to increase case numbers 25 percent while making budget cuts.

He was born in Reno and received his bachelor's degree at the University of Nevada, where he was also student body president. He received his law degree from McGeorge School of Law.