Justice Court races in Las Vegas, suburbs see initial results

Nevadans can expect to see several newcomers on the bench across Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas Justice Courts, according to initial election results released in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Preliminary results showed that, notably, attorney James Dean Leavitt was coming in second in a five-candidate race for the Las Vegas justice of the peace seat in Department 4, receiving 24.5 percent of the vote.

Suzan Baucum was the frontrunner as of around 1:30 a.m. with 27.6 percent of the vote, leading over Leavitt, Jessica Smith-Peterson, Hilary Heap and Holly Stoberski.

“I know the polls closed at 7 p.m. and the ballots are still being counted and processed,” Smith-Peterson, who initial results showed had 21.7 percent of the vote, said in an email. “There’s still much to be decided and my team is waiting patiently.”

Stoberski, who initial results showed had pulled in only 13 percent of the vote, said in a text message Tuesday night, “While I am disappointed with the outcome, my commitment to serving our community remains strong. I will continue to advocate for justice and fairness in all that I do.”

Leavitt’s former unsuccessful contests for judicial seats have been marked by controversy, including accusations that he once hit a roadside flagger, which he denies.

“Suzan ran a great race and deserves to be congratulated,” Leavitt said in a text message Wednesday morning.

In the Las Vegas race for a seat in Justice Court’s Department 2 between incumbent Joseph Sciscento and Chief Deputy Public Defender Kristal Bradford, Bradford was pulling ahead early Wednesday morning with 52.7 percent of the vote, initial results showed. This year is the first time Sciscento has faced an opponent.

“I am very grateful and honored to receive the majority of the votes and I’m looking forward to working with the people of Clark County,” Bradford said in an email Tuesday night.

Bradford, who said she wanted to take the bench after years of representing the “most vulnerable people in our society,” questioned a mailer sent out by Sciscento’s campaign that advertised an endorsement from the Republican Party, despite judicial races being nonpartisan. Sciscento said the support came from the Nevada Republican Club and reprinted the mailers.

In Las Vegas Justice Court Department 5, Justice of the Peace and former chief judge Cynthia Dustin-Cruz was leading in the polls against Chief Deputy District Attorney Madilyn “Leavitt” Cole with 51.6 percent of the vote, initial results showed.

Cole said Justice Court needed a strong leader after Dustin-Cruz stepped down from her chief judge role, a move that Dustin-Cruz said she made in order to keep “doing phenomenal work” on the various committees she sits on.

Dustin-Cruz said Cole’s use of her family’s “Leavitt” name was her “trying to ride on the coattails of somebody else’s reputation.” Cole said she is proud of her identity and wanted people to know who she is. Dustin-Cruz also criticized a GOP emblem on one of Cole’s mailers, but Cole said the group in question wasn’t the GOP and did not violate judicial canons.

In Department 8, candidate Nancy Bernstein was leading early Wednesday morning over her opponent, Amy Ferreira, with 50.4 percent of the vote.

Bernstein, a criminal defense attorney and civil litigator, said she was inspired to run after her ex-husband Dennis Prince was shot and killed at his Summerlin law office in April. Ferreira, a hearing master, said she hoped to be a voice for those who can’t speak for themselves.

“I’m optimistic to see these initial results,” Bernstein said in a text Tuesday night. “I’m deeply grateful to everyone who took the time to vote and everyone who supported this campaign. I stay committed to serving our community as we await the final results.”

“The numbers are very close and I’m eager to learn the final outcome,” Ferreira said in a text message Wednesday morning. “Regardless, I will continue to serve this community as a judicial officer in one role or another, and for that I am so grateful.”

Elsewhere, veteran prosecutor Sandy DiGiacomo had won 57.4 percent of the vote, leading over public defender Marla Renteria in a race for a Justice Court seat in Henderson.

“I am very pleased with the results so far, but I understand there are more votes to count,” DiGiacomo said.

In North Las Vegas, hearing master and former Army aviation officer Jonathan Cooper was pulling ahead of former lone North Las Vegas Municipal Judge Sean Hoeffgen for a Justice Court seat with 74 percent of the vote, according to initial results.

“I wish Jonathan the best of luck,” Hoeffgen said in a text message Tuesday night.

Cooper said in a text message Tuesday night that he was “excited about the results, and if the initial results hold, I will be honored to be the next North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estellelilym on X and @estelleatkinsonreports on Instagram.