Del Vecchio returning to a position he knows well: perennial candidate

Family Court Judge Nicholas Del Vecchio is a goner. The claims made about his behavior on the bench are not just a simple she said-he said. It's nine people describing appalling behavior, which, if true, makes him unelectable in the fall.

Even if you discount the sexual abuse claims of stepdaughter Rebeccah Murray and the claims of her mother, (his ex-wife) Imogene Serrano, there remain seven people who worked at Family Court who are saying the judge essentially said anything that crossed his mind, no matter how inappropriate or offensive.

If you read the entire 38 counts in the charges filed Friday by the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission, and if it's all true, Del Vecchio is a lewd, crude sexist and racist who apparently felt free to say whatever vulgar thought floated from his penis to his pea brain.

What kind of judge would tell his bailiff something to the effect that a fellow jurist, Family Court Judge Stefany Miley, "has a fine ass and you wished you could get in there."

It's one thing to think it. It's another to say it. Del Vecchio is a judge without judgment. Hispanics, blacks, Asians, Jews. There was hardly a minority he didn't slur.

Perhaps he'll put it all in context when he gives his side. Perhaps he was merely joking when he told one assistant she should be sleeping with him, not her boyfriend.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

His staff said the judge felt free to comment on the sexual desirability (and undesirability) of women -- female attorneys, litigants and other courthouse employees. Just call him Mr. Sensitive.

Even if you discount the 15 out of 38 counts based on his stepdaughter and ex-wife, almost all the rest come from statements from either his former staff members or other employees at Family Court.

The witnesses include his former court clerks Patti Camarote and Wilma Sawtelle; his former judicial executive assistant Wendy Cox; his former bailiff Richard Tamez, his former law clerk Michael Bognar; and two other court employees, Beata Funk and Meredith Simmons.

The claims involving sexual abuse of his stepdaughter when she was between 14 and 16 are horrifying; but that occurred before he was a judge, and the discipline commission must consider what he did while a judge.

Because the statute of limitations has run out on child abuse allegations involving Murray, now 29, no criminal charges will be filed based on those claims.

But she became his judicial executive assistant in 2002, and he allegedly said the job included sexual services, so those charges are relevant to his judgeship. He allowed her to attend law school during the day, even though Chief District Judge Kathy Hardcastle told him a judge's assistant could not work a flexible schedule.

Many are asking why he remains on the bench hearing cases.

Simple: Judges can be removed only by the Judicial Discipline Commission.

However, litigants, particularly women, might start asking that their cases be removed from his court. What woman, attorney or litigant, is going to want to stand before Del Vecchio looking for a fair decision and wondering if he's weighing whether she's desirable? Too creepy.

In the 2006 Judging the Judges evaluation, 77 percent of the attorneys said he should be retained. Look for that number to plummet. That retention rating and an inexperienced opponent helped Del Vecchio win the Review-Journal's endorsement.

Not likely he'll get the newspaper's endorsement this year. His opponents are Ellen Bezian, Cynthia Giuliani and Vincent Ochoa.

Ochoa is mentioned in one count. Tamez, the ex-bailiff, said Ochoa called Del Vecchio about a juvenile master position.

The judge refused to take the call and told his bailiff to tell Ochoa that he needed to take Del Vecchio to lunch if he wanted to be considered for the position.

For this judge, everything was quid pro quo, food or sex.

After running for seven elected positions, Nicholas Del Vecchio finally wins one in 2000 when he's 43. He rids himself of the description "perennial candidate," puts on the black robe and proceeds to screw it up royally.

Or so say at least nine witnesses.

Don't you know Del Vecchio is having a lousy Valentine's Day.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0275.