RJ Endorsements: Additional Family Court primaries

Incumbent Judge Vincent Ochoa faces challenges from Regina McConnell and Lisa Szye in Department S. Judge Ochoa has been on the bench for a decade, but received mediocre marks from attorneys over the years in the Review-Journal’s judicial surveys, including a 52 percent retention rating in 2019. Nearly half the respondents last year disagreed that the judge was “familiar with the case record and documents.” That’s a problem. Ms. McConnell has practiced law since 2003, focusing on family matters for the past 13 years. She vows to speed up the process for litigants struggling with the emotional Family Court process. We recommend Regina McConnell.

In Department U, Marilyn Caston, Bill Gonzalez and Dawn Throne are vying to win this newly created position. Mr. Gonzalez previously served five years as a Family Court judge, but lost his re-election bid in 2014 after an unremarkable tenure. Ms. Caston is a solid candidate, but Ms. Throne’s 24 years of experience and deep background in family law make her the best choice. for this department. We urge a vote for Dawn Throne.

Three hopefuls — Craig Bourke, Jack Fleeman and Margaret Pickard — are seeking the new seat in Department V. Mr. Fleeman, a former EMT who has practiced law since 2007, is a certified family law specialist and has extensive courtroom experience in family law cases. Ms. Pickard has been an attorney since 1990 and has served as a hearing master in Family Court as well as taught family law classes at UNLV’s Boyd Law School. Clark County voters can’t go wrong with either Jack Fleeman or Margaret Pickard in this race.

The contest for the new post in Department Y features Maricar Andrade, Stephanie Charter and Kari Molnar. All three have Family Court experience, but Ms. Charter has been both a prosecutor dealing with child abuse and neglect cases as well as a private attorney handling guardianship, divorce and custody matters. We urge a vote for Stephanie Charter.

Department Z, another new seat, features a four-way contest among Randall Forman, Michele Mercer, Romeo Perez and Kevin Speed. Mr. Speed is a public defender with little background in family law. The remaining candidates have years of experience in Family Court, but we give the edge to Michele Mercer, who has served as a hearing master in Family Court for more than a decade.

In a three-way race for Department T to replace outgoing Judge Lisa Brown, the Review-Journal offers no endorsement.