Family court judge removed from child welfare case

Family Court Judge Steven Jones has been ordered removed from a child welfare case because of his personal bias against a prosecutor handling the case.

Jones banned the prosecutor, Michelle Edwards, and another prosecutor in the district attorney’s child welfare unit last month from appearing in his courtroom after they helped expose his romance with a third, now former, deputy, Lisa Willardson.

Former District Attorney David Roger filed a motion last month seeking the judge’s disqualification from the child welfare case, alleging he was trying to impugn the reputations of both Edwards and Deputy District Attorney Janne Hanrahan.

Jones responded that he was protecting the integrity of the judiciary from the conduct of the prosecutors.

But in a written decision late last week, District Judge Susan Johnson, sided with Roger, concluding Jones should get off the case because he admitted that he has a “personal bias or prejudice” against Edwards.

Jones’ lawyer, James Jimmerson, said Monday he was disappointed with the decision.

“We have not yet seen the order and are certainly surprised by it,” Jimmerson said. “We were under the impression that she was going to set a hearing and were disappointed that she didn’t.”

In her 10-page decision, Johnson said that she had reviewed all of the pleadings and exhibits on file in the case and didn’t see the need for a hearing.

Roger said he was pleased with the ruling.

“It is unfortunate that this matter had to get to the point where we had to have another judge intervene,” Roger said. “I’m hopeful now that the chief judge will review this decision and issue an administrative order transferring all of the child welfare cases from Judge Jones to another objective jurist.”

Longtime child advocate Donna Coleman agreed.

“Hopefully, somewhere down the line he will be removed from all child welfare cases because his relationship with the district attorney’s office is tainted,” Coleman said. “The integrity of the process is at risk if he is not removed.”

Concerns about the rift between Jones and the district attorney’s office over the relationship with Willardson were aired earlier this month at a regular meeting of Family Court judges attended by Chief District Judge Jennifer Togliatti.

But no administrative action was taken to ease the conflict, and Jones continues to handle a normal child welfare caseload.

The conflict erupted in the waning days of Roger’s administration. The former district attorney, now a general counsel with the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, has said he felt pressured by Jones to keep Willardson in the child welfare unit after the involvement between the judge and the prosecutor was brought to light at the end of October.

Roger’s whistle-blowing deputies had given supervisors a photo Edwards took of Willardson and Jones appearing cozy with each other at an Oct. 28 office function at a local restaurant. Edwards believed Jones had put his hand on Willardson’s jeans-covered leg. The photo appears to show the judge’s hand moving toward Willardson’s leg or moving away from it.

Roger ended up filing a complaint with the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline over the judge’s conduct. The district attorney’s office also filed a complaint with the State Bar of Nevada against Willardson, who was fired Dec. 13. Both agencies are investigating.

Roger also launched a grand jury investigation before he retired Jan. 3 into allegations both Jones and Willardson lied in sworn affidavits about the extent of their romantic involvement.

Grand jury-approved subpoenas were issued seeking cellphone records dating to October for both Jones and Willardson, courthouse sources have said.

In their affidavits, Jones and Willardson said under oath that they didn’t start dating until November, after she was removed from prosecuting cases before the judge. But emails from Willardson’s office computer showed the relationship might have begun while she was appearing before Jones.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.