Silver resigning from Nevada Supreme Court
Nevada Supreme Court Justice Abbi Silver on Friday submitted her resignation to Gov. Steve Sisolak, citing “unforeseen circumstances” and a desire to spend more time with her family.
Silver, who was elected to the Supreme Court while running unopposed in 2018, will step down next month, according to her resignation letter.
“During my 13 years as a prosecutor, I tried well over 100 jury trials — only losing one,” Silver wrote in her letter to Sisolak. “I prided myself on being the voice of victims of crimes and, to this day, I believe it was one of the most rewarding experiences. However, the greatest honor of my life has been to wear the black robes while presiding as a judge for almost 20 years. Regretfully, due to unforeseen circumstances, and to spend more time with my family, I will be retiring from the bench on Sept. 29, 2022.”
Silver made history more than once during her legal career.
She was elected to every court in the state — Las Vegas Municipal Court in 2003, Las Vegas Justice Court in 2006 and Clark County District Court in 2008 and 2014. She was appointed to the initial panel of the Nevada Court of Appeals in 2014, and won election to that post in 2016. In 2017, she was named the first female judge of the appellate court.
Silver grew up in Boulder City, graduated from UNLV in 1986 and from the Southwestern School of Law in Los Angeles in 1989. While in school, she worked multiple jobs, including as a a lifeguard at Caesars Palace and a cheerleader for the Utah Jazz.
After law school, she worked as a deputy district attorney in Clark County, and was chief deputy over the special victims unit, where she prosecuted cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. Famous defendants she prosecuted included John Wayne Bobbitt and Floyd Mayweather, as well as the stalkers of major political figures, including the late former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, former U.S. Sen. John Ensign, entertainer Jerry Lewis and then-married Steve and Elaine Wynn.
Sisolak will appoint a replacement for Silver from a list of three candidates vetted by the Commission on Judicial Selection. On Twitter, he praised Silver saying, “She has made a tremendous impact on our State in her decades of service. Thank you so much, Justice. Kathy and I are wishing you and your family all the best.”
Today Justice Abbi Silver submitted her resignation from the Nevada Supreme Court—Department F. She has made a tremendous impact on our State in her decades of service. Thank you so much, Justice. Kathy and I are wishing you and your family all the best. pic.twitter.com/4IwNoNMUOP
— Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) August 26, 2022
A look at the four women — a majority — who were on the Nevada Supreme Court in 2019.
Contact Steve Sebelius at SSebelius@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253. Follow @SteveSebelius on Twitter.
