New Tahoe Township justice on bench

New Tahoe Township Justice of the Peace Michael K. Johnson is no stranger to the bench at Lake Tahoe’s piece of Douglas County.

Johnson has been a Justice of the Peace pro tem since 2006.

Douglas County commissioners appointed him to fill the seat about nine minutes before the noon Oct. 5 retirement of longtime Justice of the Peace Richard Glasson.

Johnson was one of three candidates who applied for the seat, including Stateline residents Rick Gardner and Cynthia Mohiduddin. In order to keep it, he will have to file for election in January.

Former Tahoe Township court bailiff and county commissioner Wes Rice said it was a difficult decision because he knew and was friends with both Johnson and Gardner.

“I went to the people who have to interface with the Tahoe Justice of the Peace, and to a person they all recommended we go with Mr. Johnson,” Rice said. “I hate choosing between friends, but that’s the direction I’m going to have to go.”

Johnson thanked commissioners for their appointment.

“I’m really honored and humbled by your decision,” he said. “Tahoe Justice Court has an excellent reputation to uphold and I’m going to do my best to do that.”

A 1997 graduate of the University of Colorado Law School, Johnson received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1993.

He has been a partner in the law firm Rollston, Henderson & Johnson Ltd. In Stateline since 2005. He was an attorney with Alling & Jillson for four years and with Scarpello & Alling from 1997 to 2001, according to his resume. He previously served on the Douglas County Law Library board and is a 26-year resident of Stateline.