REVIEW-JOURNAL ENDORSEMENT: Nevada Court of Appeals, Department 3

One seat on the Nevada Court of Appeals is in play with Judge Bonnie Bulla facing a challenge from Las Vegas attorney Susan Bush.

Gov. Steve Sisolak appointed Judge Bulla to the appeals panel to replace Judge Abbi Silver, who was elected to the Nevada Supreme Court in 2018. Prior to her appointment, Judge Bulla, a graduate of Arizona State law school and a practicing attorney since 1987, served as the discovery commissioner for the Eighth Judicial District Court. She has earned an “AV preeminent” rating from Martindale-Hubbell and vows to apply the law “fairly and impartially.” In the Review-Journal’s 2019 judicial survey, she earned a 62 percent retention rating, but she had been on the bench for just a matter of months. Judge Bulla says she would like to see the court publish more opinions, a reform that would be a victory for transparency.

Ms. Bush, a graduate of UNLV’s Boyd Law School, says she believes in “justice with dignity.” She started her own law firm in 2006 focusing on family and criminal law and a decade later left private practice to become chief deputy special public defender for Clark County. Ms. Bush is also a member of the Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics and has previously served as a court arbitrator and truancy judge. She did not make herself available for a Review-Journal debate with her opponent.

Judge Bulla’s background in judicial procedure is a good fit for the appeals panel. She deserves a chance to prove herself on the bench. We urge a vote for Bonnie Bulla.