Reno lawyer files for Supreme Court

Reno lawyer Kevin Mirch filed Friday for the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Miriam Shearing.

Shearing, the first women to sit on the court, is retiring at the end of this year.

Mirch joins Washoe District Judge Jim Hardesty, Las Vegas Family Court Judge Diane Steele and former Stae Senator Don Ashworth in the race for District A.

He said he specializes in "business litigation" and has won substantial judgments for a number of clients in 21 years of practice. He said he is running because the judicial system needs to be streamlined and reformed.

"We need to put justices on a California-type system where they have to respond (in cases) in a certain amount of time," he said. Mirch, 47, said judges need to be "referees who follow the law" and that too many times that doesn't happen.

"We need to streamline our system so we can avoid anarchy."

He said improving the courts will have long-term benefits not only to society but to the business climate in Nevada.

"In order to help our state from a business perspective, we have to have the very best judicial system," he said. "It cannot be political. It has to be based on law because the political side scares business away."

He ran for office once before, unsuccessfully, for the Nevada Assembly.

- Appeal Capitol Bureau