Kristin Luis files to make Carson City Justice of the Peace Department 2 first contested race of 2018

Kristin Luis, Carson City’s assistant District Attorney for the past three years, filed Tuesday for the Justice of the Peace Department 2 post being vacated by Jon Tatro.

Tatro has announced his retirement from the bench at the end of 2018. Luis will have a race against Carson City attorney Ryan Russell who announced in September and registered with the Carson City clerk-reorders office last Monday.

Luis currently heads the DA’s criminal division and has prosecuted several high profile cases including the conviction of six defendants in the murder of Grant Watkins.

She said with Tatro’s retirement, Carson City is losing more than 20 years of judicial experience.

“The community deserves an experienced and fair minded judge,” she said.

Luis has judicial experience, having served as Carson City’s Judicial Master, handling cases involving juvenile delinquency cases from 2010 until she resigned to become DA Jason Woodbury’s assistant in 2014.

She has also presided over drug court programs and, as assistant DA, has directed the office’s involvement in specialty courts.

She earned her bachelor’s from University of Nevada, Reno and her law degree from Gonzaga University. She has practiced law since 1997.

Luis announced and registered for the race on Monday.

Russell, a Carson City native and fourth generation Nevadan, is a graduate of Carson High School. He holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Nevada, Reno and graduated from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Justice of the Peace Department 1 Tom Armstrong has filed to run for re-election.

The judicial filing period runs through Friday.