Ceremonial Robing and Oath Will Take Place for Four Judges Who are Part of the Largest Group of Women to Ever Join Bench in Nevada
In the recent election, 22 new judges were voted in to serve on the bench of the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court; all were women. Some investitures were delayed due to the pandemic. The first of the two delayed investitures will be held September 29 at 3 p.m. The investitures for Judge Veronica Barisich, department 5; Judge Nadia Krall, department 4, Judge Amy M. Mastin, department M, and Judge Jessica K. Peterson, department 8 will be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/clarkcountycourts. Investitures are formal ceremonies with significant symbolism, as new judges publicly swear an oath to uphold justice prior to being ceremonially robed in front of family, friends and colleagues.
“Our new judges have hit the ground running during unprecedented times. They are the largest and most diverse group of judges to join the court at one time,” said District Court Chief Judge Linda Marie Bell. “They bring new energy to the court during a time that necessitates innovation and resilience to address the backlog created by the pandemic.”
Prior to her election to department 5, Veronica M. Barisich served on the State Bar of Nevada Fee Dispute Committee. She also served as a justice of the peace pro tem judge in the small claims court. She was a senior attorney with Dempsey, Roberts & Smith, Ltd. for thirteen years, practicing civil litigation and family law, and subsequently worked for Mandarich Law Group. Judge Barisich received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and was a part of James Madison College. Her juris doctorate is from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Prior to her election to department 4, Nadia Krall had a successful personal injury law practice. She has contributed to a number of different industry publications/charities/events/organizations, including the Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys. She has a law degree from the UNLV Boyd School of Law as part of the first graduating class in 2000; as well as an undergrad degree from UNLV.
Amy M. Mastin is the judge in department M in the Family Division. Prior to being elected to the bench, Amy worked for seven years as hearing master, appointed by the District Court judges to preside over Clark County’s domestic violence cases. During her tenure as a hearing master, Amy also adjudicated child support establishment and enforcement cases, minor guardianships and discovery matters. Prior to being appointed as a hearing master, the majority of Amy’s career was spent in private practice, focused on family court cases. She has also worked as a deputy district attorney prosecuting juvenile dependency cases and she started her career in Family Court as the judicial law clerk to The Honorable Gerald W. Hardcastle (retired). Judge Mastin earned her undergraduate degree from Florida State University and her juris doctorate from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Jessica K. Peterson is the judge for Department 8. Prior to her election to Department 8, Jessica was a junior partner at the Flangas Law Group a general litigation firm, where she worked since moving to Las Vegas in 2007. Jessica is a current member of and the past president of the North Las Vegas Rotary Club. Jessica also formerly served on the board of directors for the Rape Crisis Center and dedicates her time to helping various different charitable organizations including the Compassion Initiative. Judge Peterson graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree from Evergreen State College and she graduated cum laude with a juris doctorate from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Fifty-eight judges now preside over nearly 100,000 criminal, civil and family cases that are filed each year in the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court. District Court judges and staff continuously work to develop new ideas, maximize efficiencies and improve access to justice. For more information about the Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court, please visit our website at clarkcountycourts.us, Facebook facebook.com/NV8thJDCourt, Twitter at https://twitter.com/Nv8thC or M Price@LasVegasCourts and blog at https://eighthjdcourt.wordpress.com.
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Source: Mary Ann Price, Court Information Officer, Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court
