Early results in Clark County District Court races showed female incumbents leading in every contest where they faced male challengers, continuing a trend from 2020 when women won 15 of 18 contested seats. All 32 District Court seats were on the ballot, though two-thirds of candidates ran unopposed.
Several incumbents who scored poorly in the Las Vegas Review-Journal's 2025 Judicial Performance Evaluation — informally known as Judging the Judges — appeared on track to retain their seats. The survey allows attorneys to anonymously rate whether each judge should be kept in office.
In Department 31, Judge Joanna Kishner led challenger Alexandra McLeod with 58.9 percent of the vote despite receiving a 46.6 percent retention score, the lowest among sitting District Court judges. Judge Jessica Peterson led in Department 8 with 57.5 percent after scoring 54.2 percent, and Judge Jasmin Lilly-Spells held a 55.9 percent lead in Department 23 with a 57.3 percent retention score.
Other female incumbents held wider margins: Judge Veronica Barisich led at 57.9 percent in Department 5, Judge Michelle Leavitt led 71.2 percent to 28.9 percent in Department 12, Judge Jennifer Schwartz led with 75.4 percent in Department 17, and Judge Tara Clark Newberry led with 63.4 percent in Department 21.
In open and contested races, Justice of the Peace Noreen DeMonte led Danielle Tarmu 51.5 percent to 48.5 percent for the Department 28 seat vacated by Judge Ron Israel, who scored 50.7 percent on the evaluation and did not seek re-election. In Department 29, prosecutor Alex Quagge held a narrow 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent edge over incumbent Judge Jacob Reynolds. Results in Department 30 between Judge Jerry Wiese and Joshua Santeramo were not finalized.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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