Jones to replace Sandoval on NV federal bench

RENO, Nev. - U.S. District Judge R. Clive Jones will move from Las Vegas to Reno to assume the caseload of Judge Brian Sandoval after his resignation becomes effective Sept. 15.

Chief Judge Roger L. Hunt announced Sandoval's replacement on Monday.

Jones was a federal bankruptcy judge in Reno before being appointed a U.S. District Court judge by President George W. Bush in 2003.

Sandoval, former Nevada attorney general, state assemblyman and chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, announced his resignation Aug. 14.

A Republican and first Hispanic to win a statewide election in Nevada, he is viewed by many as a strong challenger to Gov. Jim Gibbons in next year's GOP primary.

Sandoval was recommended for the federal judiciary by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and took the bench in 2005.