Seven District Court seats contested

While Nevada's high-profile U.S. Senate race often appears to have sucked the oxygen out of this year's elections, voters face many other choices Nov. 2 (or earlier), including a plethora of local judicial races. Herewith the newspaper's recommendations for seven contested seats on the District Court:

In Department 26, former Bar Association President Gloria Sturman is highly rated and says she believes juries should be allowed to read the actual text of the law. Gloria Sturman is our choice over CPA and short-trial judge Bruce Gale.

In Department 27, a former chief of both the state and county Bar Associations, Nancy Allf is an easy choice over Blaine Beckstead, who didn't show up for a scheduled interview.

In Department 28, Jack Howard, 63, has sat on thousands of trials and vows he won't allow cases to drag on through endless continuances. We trust Mr. Howard's mature judgment and life experience over personal injury attorney Ron Israel.

In Department 29, Susan Scann faces Kenneth Pollock, who seeks to move over from Family Court, where the former construction defect attorney -- who has four years left on his term there -- has drawn an anemic 47 percent retention rating in the Review-Journal's biennial judicial performance survey. Legally knowledgeable Susan Scann is the better choice.

In Department 30, AV-rated attorney Michael Davidson, a five-year former deputy district attorney and former North Las Vegas deputy city attorney, has the experience, enthusiasm and respect to make him the clear choice over Jerry Wiese, who would restrict the power and latitude of jurors.

In Department 31, Phil Dabney has been a part-time, short-trial judge in Justice Court for the past eight years, is AV-rated and volunteers in the community. He's the better choice over Joanna Kishner, a worrisome judicial candidate with little respect for the authority or legitimate powers of jurors, who in her legalistic approach fails to exhibit much in the way of real-world experience or common sense.

Finally, in Department 32, Rob Bare, a former trial lawyer for the U.S. Army, was proactive in shutting down "legal service" outfits that ripped off Spanish-speaking residents for thousands of dollars. He also served as a full-time judge in Las Vegas Municipal Court for six months in 2007. The work ethic and enthusiasm of Mr. Bare, chief prosecutor for the state Bar Association, make him a better choice than Ellen Stoebling.