Incumbent Clark County judges fall as challengers take new seats
Two sitting judges lost their positions in Tuesday's election, while a third race remains undecided pending a final count of remaining ballots.
By Thabo Hoffmann ·
Attorney Josh Santeramo and family law attorney Marilyn Caston defeated their respective incumbent opponents in Clark County District Court races on Tuesday. The results mark a shift in the local judiciary, with two long-serving judges losing their seats to challengers with extensive private practice and state agency experience.
Santeramo won the Department 30 civil and criminal seat against Judge Jerry Wiese. The Clark County Election Department reported that Santeramo held a 1.6 percent lead over Wiese as of early Wednesday morning. Santeramo has practiced law for 15 years, splitting his time between private practice and the Nevada Attorney for Injured Workers. He secured 50.8 percent of the vote in that race.
In the Department R Family Court seat, Marilyn Caston defeated Judge Bill Henderson, who has held the position since 2008. Caston received 60 percent of the vote. She has practiced family law for more than 16 years and serves as a junior partner at Nevada Family Law Group.
The status of the Department 29 civil and criminal seat remains uncertain. Judge Jacob Reynolds, who won the seat in a 2024 special election, held a 1.2 percent lead over challenger Alex Quagge in early Wednesday counts. This reverses earlier reporting that showed Reynolds trailing Quagge. Quagge currently serves as a criminal prosecutor in the Clark County District Attorney's Office and previously worked as a military attorney in the U.S. Army.
Voters decided the fate of 16 of the 58 District Court civil, criminal, and family judge positions in Clark County. The judges in the remaining 42 seats faced no opposition. One open seat in Department 28, vacated by the retirement of Judge Ron Israel, went to Noreen DeMonte. DeMonte, a Justice of the Peace in Department 10 elected in 2022, defeated private practice attorney Danielle Tarmu with more than 51 percent of the vote. The Clark County Commission will appoint a replacement for DeMonte's Justice Court seat.
Two additional Family Court seats opened by the retirements of Judges Bob Teuton and Vincent Ochoa were filled during the election. In Department D, Gwynneth Smith, a chief deputy in the district attorney's office juvenile division, defeated family law attorney Patricia Marr with more than 55 percent of the vote. In Department S, family law attorney Kristine Brewer defeated Family Court Commissioner Randall Forman with nearly 56 percent of the vote.
In Washoe County, voters decided on two of 14 District Court races, leaving 12 sitting judges uncontested. Senior Justice of the Peace Derek Dreiling won the open Department 1 civil and criminal seat. Dreiling, who spent 22 years as a Washoe County deputy district attorney, defeated Probate Commissioner Edmund Gorman Jr. with 52 percent of the vote. Gorman had previously overseen the court battle involving media baron Rupert Murdoch regarding a multibillion dollar family trust.
Family Court Judge Alexander Morey secured a full term in Department 13. This race involved a controversy after Morey's challenger died in late August, which was too late to remove the name from the ballot. Morey, a longtime Reno family law attorney, was appointed to the seat in April by Gov. Joe Lombardo following the departure of Judge Bridget Robb.
