Applications for Clark County judgeship accepted through June 7

The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection started accepting applications Monday for a judgeship left open by the retirement of Douglas Smith.

Attorneys with at least 10 years of legal experience and two years of Nevada residency can apply for the seat through June 7, according to a news release from the state’s Supreme Court.

The commission, with seven members including the chief justice, is expected to interview applicants in mid-July. Those interviews will be open to the public.

After the interviews, the commission is tasked with sending the names of three finalists to Gov. Steve Sisolak.

The seat, which is up for election in 2020, pays about $160,000 a year.

Smith retired April 12 after 23 years on the bench in Las Vegas. He was first elected as justice of the peace in 1995, serving until he was elected to Clark County District Court in 2008.

He has said he applied to serve as a senior judge, filling temporary vacancies in both Justice Court and District Court.

But a week after Smith’s retirement, the Supreme Court, which decides whether retired judges receive senior status, reversed a death penalty conviction in an opinion that focused solely on Smith and included a page-long footnote citing 16 cases that had been reversed after the high court found errors in Smith’s decisions.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.