Las Vegas NowStill No Ruling on Future of Judge Halverson

Still No Ruling on Future of Judge Halverson

There's still no ruling from the Nevada Supreme Court on the future of Judge Elizabeth Halverson.

She filed a lawsuit Tuesday asking the high court to overturn a court order that bans her from the courthouse. Judge Halverson spoke exclusively to the Channel 8 I-Team. Court administrators Wednesday responded to some of her allegations.

It is fair to say that Judge Halverson and court administrators may see the same set of facts in two different ways. There were several portions of her interview with the I-Team that just don't add up as far as court administrators are concerned.

Judge Halverson told the I-Team she hired her personal bodyguards after administrators re-assigned her bailiff against both her wishes and the bailiff's wishes.

"They took him and he didn't want to go," Halverson said.

But court spokesman Michael Sommermeyer says that's not true. 

"But this bailiff filed, has filed a complaint with the Office of Diversity. And there is no way I am going to get into what he is alleging but by law, by federal law. We cannot allow his supervisor, in this case Judge Halverson, to supervise him," Sommermeyer stated.

The judge also says she believes an assistant she fired was fixing traffic tickets -- part of a culture of favoritism at the Regional Justice Center. Court administrators confirm some traffic tickets are missing, but where they are is not known.

Michael Sommermeyer continued, "Right now, we don't have the parking tickets in question. So we have no way to begin an investigation. But that's a serious allegation."

The incident that led to Judge Halverson being banned from the courthouse was caught on videotape last Wednesday.

Court administrators went to her chambers to retrieve the personal belongings of that former employee. The judge herself confirms she had two personal bodyguards behind her closed office door at the time.

The judge called this a "raid' on her chambers and called 911.

Judge Halverson's attorney says these motions filed with the Supreme Court aim to restore Judge Halverson to her position. They will also test the authority of the chief judge.

Attorney William Gamage said, "Essentially, what it does is it commands forth a person to demonstrate by what authority they are either holding an office, or exercising an authority under an office."

Chief Judge Kathy Hardcastle is elected by all of the sitting judges in the district. She can be removed by a two-thirds vote of her colleagues, and that same two-thirds majority can also overturn any of her administrative decisions.

So far, as we know, there has been no effort by the 37 sitting judges to break ranks with Chief Judge Hardcastle to again grant Judge Halverson access to the courthouse.

The Nevada Supreme Court has scheduled a conference for Thursday morning to consider the case of District Court Judge Elizabeth Halverson.

Email your comments to Investigative Reporter Mark Sayre.