Nevada Chief Justice won't seek re-election

Supreme Court Chief Justice James W. Hardesty announced Tuesday he won't be seeking re-election.

“It has been an unimaginable honor and distinct privilege to serve the citizens of Nevada as a District Court Judge and a Nevada Supreme Court Justice for almost 24 years. However, I have decided not to seek re-election and retire from the Nevada Supreme Court once my term expires at the end of 2022. Hardesty represented The Record-Courier in the early 1990s when the newspaper sued the Douglas County School Board to obtain names of superintendent candidates, helping to establish that administrative officers like superintendents and county managers must be hired in public. 

“I want to extend a sincere and heartfelt thank you to my wife, family, my judicial assistant for over 20 years, my 42 law clerks, the Supreme Court staff and all the friends and supporters that helped me achieve the professional experience of a lifetime.

“The Nevada Judiciary has experienced much growth during my tenure on the bench. I am particularly proud of the role I had in the creation of a court of appeals, the construction of a new Appellate courthouse in Las Vegas, the adoption of a business plan that has funded courthouse and technology improvements throughout the state, and the expansion of Interest paid on Lawyers Trust Accounts that increased funding to legal aid organizations tenfold. In addition, I had the opportunity to reform the guardianship system, advance criminal justice reforms, and author over 350 published opinions on Nevada law.

“While I will genuinely miss serving the citizens of our great state, I look forward to the next chapter of my professional career and spending more time with my wife and family.”