I'll start. Who is your favorite for the three finalists for Judge Wall's open seat? Peyton, Davidson or Tao.
Troy Peyton wins the coveted Elle Woods endorsement. He is in the top three opposing counsel that I've ever had. Davidson is second. I have no clue who Tao is.
Double cartwheels and round-off for Peyton! (No? It can only be a double kickstand? Fine.)
No clue who Tao is either. Either Davidson or Peyton woul be at least as competent as Wall.
ReplyDeleteHow many would be willing to openly support a recall of Jesse Walsh? I cannot think of one decent quality she has as a judge.
ReplyDeleteHow about issues effecting the Courts? Proposed 4% pay cut, six furlough days a year, no COLA increases among sundry other things.
ReplyDeleteSo they make e-filing mandatory, causing firms/clients to incur mandatory filing fees for each document filed, while simultaneously making pay cuts.
ReplyDeleteSeems like somebody must be making money off of this arrangement.
The courts never take the same financial hit as the regular County employees, so I wouldn't waste much time worrying. They will just lay off more County employees so the Court management can give themselves better benefits.
ReplyDeletePermit me to harsh on our e-filing system for a moment. I'm not sure what everyone else thinks but the lag time between when I file and when it shows up on Wiznet is pretty ridiculous. Sometimes weeks will pass. Sometimes they flat out omit documents altogether.
ReplyDeleteWhen I file something which is date sensitive (i.e., a lien is about to expire or a statute is about to get blown), I like to eyeball the docket entry to know it's gone in timely. The Wiznet lag time adds an extra layer of needless worry to my practice.
And it sucks.
Anyone have the skinny on the murder case that the DA's lost?
ReplyDeleteElle-- it is not even close in my mind. Peyton is the obvious and best choice. Most judicial in temperment (and to Wall's demeanor). Furthermore (although this is NOT why he is my choice) he is I believe the only Republican of the final 3 which is being submitted to a very partisan Governor.
ReplyDeleteAs to the E-Filing Nightmare-- its atrociously unacceptable and is impeding the access to the Courts for no good purpose. The Clerks that I talk to hate it; the Judges that I talk to hate it; the attorneys I know loathe it. And it is requiring the payment of monies to get a fundamental right of access to the Courts.
WITH THAT SAID.....The District Court WIZNET System is not even the biggest nightmare on the bottom 3 floors. There is seriously some due process issues going on in the Clerk of the LVJC office. If it takes you 4 months to file a Motion, thats unacceptable. If in Mid-December I have to inquire as to the Application for Default Judgment that was submitted in early October and you tell me that you are only up to those filings from early September, thats unacceptable.
TROY PEYTON all the way!
ReplyDeleteWhen do we find out??
Anybody know why the RJC is recalling all Clark Co. Bar Assoc. EZ Pass badges?
ReplyDeleteDec 1st, the 9th Circuit reamed Judge Bruce Markell a new one for continuing to sanction attorneys who are doing nothing wrong.
ReplyDeleteSurprise, Surprise, says Gomer Pyle, Bruce Markell is NOT the sharpest tool in the shed.
Markell - 0
Attorney Appeals - 3
http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2010/12/01/08-15792.pdf
Davidson. Hands down. But still haven't seen anyone who has a clue who Tao is... which itself should be a disqualifying fact.
ReplyDeleteTao is a former D.A. who is currently a P.D. He ran for county commission in 2004 against Maxfield and it was very messy. Lawsuits, slander accusations and possible campaign $$$ reporting fraud type issues were all part of the fun. Very surprising that he was chosen as a finalist with that baggage.
ReplyDeleteJerry Tao was in the DA's office a while back-- then he left to do civil work. Last year, he reappeared as a Team Chief for the PD's office.
ReplyDelete@ 9:57 a.m.: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/dec/17/fakoya-found-not-guilty-child-abuse-murder-case/
ReplyDeletePeyton or Fox? which troy is this?
ReplyDeleteI don't think Markell was "reamed" in the opinion... but I wish the 9th Circuit Judges would sit in our BK courts for a couple days and listen to the idiots that practice there... it's worse now than ever with all the newbies trying to make a buck.
ReplyDeleteJerry Tao ran for County Commissioner in 2004 against incumbent Chip Maxfield. He was a prosecutor at the time. The RJ, particularly Jane Ann Morrison, wrote an article detailing discrepancies in Tao's campaign finance reporting. Tao's father purportedly donated about $150,000 to his son, making it seem as if Tao was within striking distance of Maxfield in the campaign fund raising war. However, Tao later asserted, I believe, that the money was used to buy Tao a house in Manhattan Beach, and then, Tao evidently claimed he took a second mortgage on the property to fund his campaign. This "story" was allegedly concocted to explain away the direct contribution in excess of campaign limits by Tao's father, which was proscribed by campaign contribution laws.
ReplyDeleteIt did not look kosher at all, as Jane Ann Morrison noted, and Jerry Tao left the DA's office when Maxfield hammered him on the fact that as a DA Tao should know the law, etc...Maxfield beat him by a sizable margin.
Tao then went into private practice for a while, and as another poster noted, he resurfaced as a Team Chief for Phil Kohn at the PD office.
Phil Kohn has a bullpen of former prosecutors, such as Ed Kane, Gary Guymon, and now Jerry Tao, that he hires more to piss off David Roger than anything else in my opinion.
I am flaggergasted that our ill-informed judicial selection committee failed to ask Tao ONE QUESTIOn about his loan from his father. There is really no institutinal memory in this town. The old folks on the committee have had brain cells obliterated by decades in this depolorable heat.
Tao is very intelligent, and an extremely amiable bloke. He is ambitious as heck, and he will be running for something in the near future. He was also a former speech writer for Harry Reid, and is virtually certain NOT to be picked by the uber partisan Republican Gibbons. Nor will Davidson.
It's Troy Peyton who gets the nod. Take it to the bank.
You always have the best intel RJC Watchdog.
ReplyDeleteKeep posting. But not here, o.k. This is a fucking tabloid you moron. We want info on BK hotties and how much money the Miley's own on their house.
We want to know minutia. That is what this crappy blog is all about dude or dudette.
Move elsewhere RJC Watchdog.
Does anyone know anything about Jerry Tao?
ReplyDeleteWho is he?
Where does he work?
Oh 8:45 if you only had a clue about what you are talking about.
ReplyDeleteWhat court management? Every person who has left over the years hasn't been replaced because the County says no. There has been no civil administrator, no criminal administrator, no media person because the County wouldn't approve the positions. Five people work in master calendar for a court serving 1.9 million people because the empty positions remain unfilled by the County. The Court doesn't control its own budget and needs approval for everything.
Your court management aren't "getting better benefits" they are becoming an endangered species. That, 8:45, is the state of the third branch.
You can now click a button on the Wiznet site & have your case updated in an hour, enabling you to download anything filed to date. Enter your email address in the courtesy copy box & the court will send you a link to retrieve a file stamped copy of your document as soon as it is ready.
ReplyDelete@10:21 Read the earlier posts much?
ReplyDeleteSHARK PIMP SEZ: RJC Watchdog you are EXACTLY the sort of poster this blog needs - keep on keeping on...
ReplyDelete10:58 PM - I would point out however that the courts are exempt from the no double-dipping rule - it happens too much. Retire from the county, collect a county pension and a court salary at the same time.
ReplyDelete11:12 - that button didn't work for me. I have a half dozen cases in discovery that are 6-14 months old that have zero documents listed in Wiznet.
ReplyDeleteFederal CM/ECF posts everything in seconds and PACER can pull it all up. Also, I file 5-20 federal docs per day and rarely have changes or rejections I need to reupload -- the DC court clerks reject almost half of all DC documents uploaded Wiznet for asinine stuff.
any updates on firm holiday parties?
ReplyDeleteAdam Stokes is the biggest fucking JEW I have ever worked for! No Christmas bonus and he is purchasing a $3 million home. WTF. Tripple kickstand jew bag.
ReplyDeleteI received a nice bonus due to my recommendation earlier in the years to start using the free research engine Fast Case. It is a free member benefit from our State Bar. You can use it on your Iphone
ReplyDelete@9:20, you are a troll, probably Rick Harris or another equally jealous hater. Adam gave EVERYONE on his staff a bonus, from the receptionists to the attorneys. I work for a large national firm and I didn't get squat except a good ole' "your doing great, bill more and work more and maybe next year...."
ReplyDeleteHow many are planning to go the State Bar annual meeting in Hawaii? I am dreaming of hawaii in June.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqtZm_aeubI
ReplyDeleteLawyer meets his new client
know any details on the jury that was forced to stay until 7am last week??
ReplyDeleteJudge Vega refused to let anyone leave until the trial was finished as the next day was her holiday party. This despite the fact that most of the delays are on her since she rarely starts trial before 1:00 pm. Made the attorneys do closing arguments through the night and when they finished at 3:00 am, refused to allow the jury to go home and made them deliberate. At 6:00 am the jury requested a break so they could contact their employers. Judge Vega refused and at 6:30 am the jury came back with a not guilty verdict.
ReplyDelete@2:14 = Adam Stokes
ReplyDelete"large national firm" = Half Price Lawyers
Vegas should face disciplinary proceedings for conducting a trial in that manner. It's wrong on so many levels. How could a jury possibly be expected to stay awake and alert that long? And aren't we in a financial crisis? How much did all of that overtime for her staff cost the taxpayers of Clark County? Good thing the jury brought back a not guilty verdict - otherwise we'd be paying for another 6 week trial as this case would have been reversed in a heartbeat based on Vega's insanity.
ReplyDelete@11:48
ReplyDeleteIn addiditon to your information, the County (the DA's Office) had to pay an additional day's pay to an expert witness because Judge Vega had to leave at 3:00 PM to attend her daughter's soccer game. Because she had to leave testimony was continued.
RE: Vega, who was defense counsel?
ReplyDeleteSandoval to decide on Clark County judge
ReplyDeleteBy Cy Ryan
Monday, Dec. 20, 2010 | 10:18 a.m.
Sun Coverage
CARSON CITY — Gov.-elect Brian Sandoval will select one of three lawyers seeking to replace Clark County District Judge David Wall who resigned in August.
A spokesman for Gov. Jim Gibbons said he is deferring to Sandoval to make the decision.
The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection has nominated three lawyers out of 19 applicants to succeed Wall.
They are private attorneys Michael Davidson and Troy Peyton, both of Las Vegas and Jerome Tao of the Clark County Public Defender’s Office.
@9:16, nope, not Adam. But even if I was, what difference would it make? The fact is, everyone in the office received a bonus. Period. I have it on very good authority. Nice try at a smear attempt, but it doesn't work when your facts aren't correct.
ReplyDeleteAnd my partner would be PISSED if he heard you call my large national firm "half price lawyers." Trust.
Uh oh! 11:46 is going to sick his partner from his "large national firm" on you! You better respect!
ReplyDelete11:30 - the defense attorney was Norm Reed. Vicki Monroe was the DA.
ReplyDeleteLOL @ 12:28. 11:46 here. #1- it was sarcasm. #2- I have boobs. It's "her" not "his". ;)
ReplyDelete@12:47
ReplyDeleteI think with 12:28 it was also a little humor.
As to the Vegas matter, it was a dead baby trial.
Also, the DA's Office had to fly their rxpert witness back to Los Angeles that night and back the next morning. So, in addition to two days pay -- at expert witness fees, they had to pay for two days and two round trip flights.
Vega seriously inconvenienced 25 or more people so she could 1) attend her daughter's soccer game and 2) could pretty up for her party.
And cost the County a bundle of money.
Wonder if our local media will do a FOIA request on records re: overtime costs incurred by Queen Vega. On a related note, did she keep her staff for 22 hours? Is that allowed? Any employment law folks know the limits?
ReplyDelete@1:24
ReplyDeleteYes, she kept the Staff, the DA's, everyone for the 22 hours. I'm not certain if the defense counsel was private or appointed.
The problem is that her staff serve at her pleasure and if they bitch about it they could be looking for a new job.
Where were David Roger and Phil Kohn? I assume they showed up in support of their deputies. What response did they get to their protests?
ReplyDelete@2:05
ReplyDeleteYeah, right!!!
The only time you see Roger in court is when there are cameras present.
"It's good to be the king." If was Rogers, I'd only show up for the cameras too.
ReplyDeleteLOL Vega, the Queen of the Roller Derby strikes again. (Yes, she did skate for the roller derby) VEGAS BABY!!
ReplyDeleteCall me old, but a million years ago I worked for a district court judge who believed that the Jury was king. Their comfort, calander and preference was paramount. Vegas treats them with utter disdain. I have done 2 jury trials in that dept and cannot believe the way she treats jurors
ReplyDelete@3:25
ReplyDeleteThe jury is the king. they are volunteers with lives outside the courtroom. In any trial I have had (and tehre have been quite a few), myself and opposing counsel have ALWAYS agreed to lessen the burden on th jurors whenever possible. To hear tales of Vega's apparant disdain for her juries sickens me.
I'll say, she did the same thing to us. Both counsel agreed to have the jury finish up on Sat morning (or Monday, if the judge didn't want to come back in on the weekend). Vega refused and kept the jury until 3 am on a Friday night.
ReplyDeleteI still think we got a bad verdict because the three "swing" jurors were exhausted from a 7-day trial and a 20-hour day. The three swing jurors went with the three jurors on the other side and got to 6 to get the hell out of there instead of really waiting and making their own decision.
That also could just be sour grapes, of course.
DA Team: Jacqueline Janay (I have no idea how to spell her last name, that is how it sounds).
ReplyDeleteDefense Team: Norm Reed and Adrian Lobo.
Not only was there enormous overtime, but they had to keep the courthouse open so there had to be security, she refused to let an expert finish testimony, and it is true that the DA's office had to pay the expert an extra day at $4,000.oo a pop.
Vega should not even allow oral argument on her motion calendar. The decision is made before anybody walks in the door. The movant gets prepared for the hearing and so does the non-movant. Vega does let counsel make a proper record at the hearing (I will give her that). But, really, oral argument means nothing to Vega. You better win it on the briefs. She doesn't apply the law very well in my opinion either. But NOBODY has ever run against her. She was an appointee who has gotten a free pass. Her staff is pretty cool though.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lvrj.com/news/justice-court-clerk-s-office-to-close-for-a-week-to-deal-with-backlog-of-cases-112220474.html
ReplyDeleteJC Clerk to close for a week
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/dec/21/allstate-suit-alleges-network-medical-care-fraud/
ReplyDeleteAnyone else hear about the expert witness (doctor) in one of Vega's cases a few weeks ago who had to use the bathroom while on the stand, but Vega wouldn't take a break? Well, word on the street is that he urinated on himself. And no, this isn't a joke. Ask around....
ReplyDeleteApparently the missing Fantasy dancer had a law degree...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fox5vegas.com/news/26208121/detail.html
Word Verification: Youcandoanythingwithalawdegree
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhjhHuMKqgs&NR=1
ReplyDeleteSure she had a law degree, and a degree in international business. Right. What a coincidence. That's exactly what the stripper told me last night. Anyone verify that yet? Or are all the reporters believing her Myspace profile?
ReplyDeleteI think she worked at Alverson Taylor.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Should I expect a Christmas bonus this year?
ReplyDeleteAnswer: No, you work for a cheap bastered who works you like slave.
@4:20. FYI if you haven't recieved your bonus yet you never will. I recieved my bonus last week and could not be happier. :)
ReplyDelete@ 11:46 am, the Fantasy dancer probably got her law degree from Thomas Jefferson
ReplyDeleteword verification: zinningl
I would like to see Brent Bryson hired as bar counsel! Any updates on the allegations against him?
ReplyDeleteHasn't been updated for some time, but here you go:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.linkedin.com/in/debbieflores