Nevada’s federal public defender appointed to 4th term

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals announced Wednesday that Rene Valladares, the federal public defender for Nevada, will serve a fourth term.

Valladares has served as the Nevada district’s federal public defender since 2011, when he was appointed following then-Federal Public Defender Franny Forsman’s retirement. His fourth term will start Aug. 3 and will last four years, according to a statement from the appellate court, which is based in San Francisco.

“Rene L. Valladares is an outstanding defender, whose leadership, commitment to service, and excellent representation for indigent clients stand apart,” Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw, who chairs the court’s standing committee on federal public defenders, said in the statement.

Valladares also serves as an adjunct professor at Boyd Law School and a part-time instructor in UNLV’s criminal justice program, according to the federal public defender’s website.

He immigrated to the U.S. from Nicaragua when he was 16, according to the statement from the appellate court. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida in 1987 and his Master of Laws degree from the University of Miami in 1993.

Valladares joined the federal public defender’s office in 1993 and served as the chief of the trial unit in the office’s Las Vegas division. He currently supervises 52 attorneys and 48 support staff, according to the court’s statement.

Applicants for federal public defender in the 9th Circuit are evaluated by a local screening committee and the court’s standing committee on federal public defenders. Reappointments for additional terms are based on “a comprehensive evaluation of the federal public defender’s performance, including an invitation for public comment,” the court’s statement said.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.