Ex-judge, pro-tem justice of the peace compete in District 6
The race for Justice of the Peace in Las Vegas Township District 6 pits a former Family Court judge against a current pro tem justice of the peace.
William Gonzalez, 60, spent 10 years as a public defender, five of those representing minors in juvenile delinquency court. He was appointed to a Family Court judge position in 2009, and served until 2014, when he lost his bid for re-election.
In 2020, Gonzalez was narrowly defeated in the race for Family Court Department U.
“I had bipartisan support in that election,” Gonzalez told the Review Journal. “So, that was something that I was really grateful to have. And I’m hoping to have that type of support again in this election. “
Gonzalez graduated from the Brigham Young University Law School in 1997, runs his own law firm and serves as a court-appointed attorney in Family Court.
He says, as a judge, it’s important not to create the law, which is the Legislature’s job, but to run an efficient courtroom.
“I think that’s very important as a judge that you understand that the decisions that you’re making are going to impact families and individuals, potentially for the rest of their lives,” he said.
Jessica Goodey, 37, brings experience as a justice of the peace pro-tem to the race for Department 6. She was sworn into that position in 2021, acting as an alternate judge when others are not available. Goodey has also served as an alternative judge in Las Vegas Municipal Court and as an appointed arbitrator in District Court.
“Making sure that everybody is treated fairly and equally under the law is one of the things that I always do in my courtroom when I serve,” Goodey said. “I can’t control what other judges do in their courtroom, but that is something I am committed to.”
Goodey graduated from Boyd Law School in 2010 and has worked in private practice since then. She currently handles personal injury, medical malpractice and business litigation cases.
If elected, Goodey says, she will focus on reducing the backlog she says the department is currently facing.
“We don’t have a lot of judges with civil law experience in our Justice Court, and we need that to be able to move these cases along,” she said.
Contact Glen A. Meek at gmeek@reviewjournal.com or 602-380-8951. Follow @GlenMeekLV on Twitter.