Preliminary results show likely winners in judicial races

Several judicial races in Clark County will move on to the general election, according to unofficial results for Tuesdays’ primary election.

In races for Henderson Justice Court Department 1 and Las Vegas Justice Court Department 2, no candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote. In nonpartisan races such as judicial election, a candidate who wins more than 50 percent of the vote will automatically win the race without moving on to a general election.

Meanwhile, attorney Rebecca Wolfson and Henderson Justice of the Peace Barbara Schifalacqua are both positioned to outright win their races, according to results released Tuesday night.

Wolfson, an attorney with the Las Vegas city attorney’s office, received 52.9 percent of the vote for Las Vegas Municipal Court Department 5, barring candidates Rae Canady and Shannon Nordstrom from advancing in the race. Canady, a former municipal court administrator, received 19.9 percent of the vote, while Nordstrom, a former hearing master for the court, held 27.1 percent, according to the unofficial results.

The seat was left open after Judge Cedric Kerns retired in March.

The race was marked by substantial fundraising from Wolfson, the daughter of Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, who reported raising more than $340,000 as of late March — more than three times more than the next largest contribution report from a judicial candidate in a contested race.

In the race for Henderson Justice Court Department 3, incumbent Justice of the Peace Barbara Schifalacqua received 56.3 percent of the vote. She is positioned to block Deputy Public Defender Patricia Doyle from advancing to the general. Attorney Gregory Denue, who had suspended his campaign but still appeared on the ballot, received 15.7 percent of the vote, while Doyle held 27.8 percent.

Schifalacqua is a former prosecutor who served as a District Court hearing master, and was appointed to the Henderson Justice Court bench in January 2023.

The Henderson Justice of the Peace Department 1 race was the most disputed, with six different candidates vying for the seat. Henderson City Attorney Sandy DiGiacomo has pulled ahead with about 33 percent of the vote. She is positioned to move forward in the general election against Chief Deputy Public Defender Marla Renteria, who received about 21.7 percent of the vote.

Candidates expected to be excluded from the general election for the race are attorneys Harvey Gruber, with 8.7 percent of the vote, attorney Todd Prall, with 14.6 percent, attorney Louis Schneider, with about 3.8 percent, and attorney Gary Thompson, with 18 percent, according to results posted Tuesday night.

In the Las Vegas Justice Court Department 2 race, longtime incumbent Justice of the Peace Joseph Sciscento has received 42.6 percent of the vote, not yet pulling ahead enough to end the race. Sciscento has sat on the department’s bench since his appointment in 2009.

He is positioned to move forward in the general election against Chief Deputy Public Defender Kristal Bradford, who received 31.3 percent of the vote. Attorney Ava Bravo is not expected to move forward, after receiving 26 percent of the vote, according to the unofficial election results.

For the latest primary results, visit lvrj.com/results.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.