First woman on Nevada Supreme Court honored for pioneering career

By now, Miriam Shearing should be used to blazing judicial trails.

She had made plenty of local history long before being elected Nevada's first female Supreme Court justice in 1992.

Still, the now retired Shearing admitted feeling a bit overwhelmed during a historic Supreme Court ceremony Monday held just for her.

"I'm so honored to see all these people here," a beaming Shearing said as she greeted a courtroom full of well-wishers, including many of the valley's female judges. "I feel so lucky because the citizens of Nevada have let me do several of my dream jobs."

The Supreme Court presented Shearing, 77, with its Legacy of Justice Award, granted annually to a person within the judiciary whose career "has resulted in significant and innovative improvements in the justice system" to benefit Nevada residents.

Shearing "shattered the glass ceiling in the Nevada court system," Supreme Court Justice Nancy Saitta said in presenting the award. "This courtroom's packed full of successful women, thanks to what you have done for all of us."

Shearing is the first woman to receive the award, just the latest in her career of "firsts."

In 1976, after working in private practice, Shearing became the first woman elected justice of the peace in Las Vegas. Six years later, she became the first woman in Nevada to be elected District Court judge. She served three of her 10 years in District Court as a Clark County Juvenile Court judge.

Shearing served as the Supreme Court's first female chief justice in 1997, a position she held again in 2004. She helped reorganize the court and move it toward a more efficient paperless system that allows greater public access to court records.

When Shearing announced that she would retire in 2005, then-Supreme Court Justice Bill Maupin described her as "one of the most important additions to the court in its history, not just because she was the first woman. She was elected at a time when the judicial system was in a state of turmoil and transition and she provided a steady hand and a lot of new perspectives to the Supreme Court."

Shearing, who has lived in Las Vegas for more than four decades, continues to serve as a senior justice and district judge.

But she didn't grow up dreaming of wearing the black robe. Becoming a lawyer was enough - until she was appointed as a judicial referee in juvenile court.

"I really found my dream job," she said Monday. "That's what propelled me to go on and run for office."

As a juvenile judge, "you feel maybe sometimes you make a difference," she said. "I have had grown men approach me in the supermarket and say, 'Remember me? You gave me a chance on probation, and this is my family, here's my children.' That's really what makes it" a dream job.

Shearing attended the ceremony with her daughter and two of her grandchildren. Her husband of more than 50 years, ophthalmologist Steven Shearing, died last year.

Several judges spoke candidly during the ceremony about Shearing's legacy and influence, saying she paved the way for the women who followed.

Clark County District Court Judge Jennifer Togliatti thanked Shearing for her leadership. "I stand here as chief judge in the Eighth Judicial Court, the largest court in Nevada," Togliatti said. "If it weren't for you blazing the trail, it wouldn't have happened."

Today, 34 of the state's 82 District Court judges are women, Saitta said. In Clark County, 26 of the 52 district court judges are women.

But Shearing "never defined herself as a 'female' lawyer" or judge, Saitta said. "She was a lawyer, a judge and a justice who just happens to be female."

Shearing has "gone far beyond just being a good judge," Saitta said. "She's made a difference for the justice system and for the people who access that system."