Public defender challenges Family Court incumbent in upcoming election

A longtime public defender is challenging the appointed incumbent for the Family Court Department N seat in the upcoming general election.

Chief Deputy Public Defender Kerri Maxey and Family Court Judge Paul Gaudet both appear on November’s ballot for the Family Court seat. Gov. Joe Lombardo appointed Gaudet to the bench in March 2023, following the death of Family Court Judge Mathew Harter.

Maxey, 48, graduated from UNLV’s Boyd Law School in 2003 and joined the Clark County public defender’s office in 2005, where she worked representing juvenile clients for about 16 years. She spent about three years as a staff attorney with the Minor Guardianship Advocacy Program at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada before returning back to work at the public defender’s office in October 2023, now representing adult clients.

If elected, Maxey said she will focus on the “best interest of the children.”

“I have been a champion for children,” she said. “If elected, I would not only be a champion for children, but I would be a champion for our Nevada families, our families that are in crisis going through the court system.”

Before Gaudet, 58, was appointed to the bench, he operated his own firm for about 30 years, focusing on family law, personal injury cases and a few commercial and criminal cases. He graduated from Louisiana State University’s law school in 1992 and moved to Las Vegas shortly after for job opportunities.

Gaudet emphasized efficiency in his handling of cases and said he wants people to get through the system as “unscathed as they possibly can.”

“These cases are all about emotions, and the longer we keep families in this system, the more those emotions fester — and those wind up being the kind of cases you hear about in the paper,” he said.

Gaudet pointed to his range of experience handling the domestic cases on his current docket, such as child support matters, divorce proceedings, custody cases and guardianship cases.

Maxey said she has represented children in delinquency, dependency and guardianship cases. She said she would be prepared to handle other types of domestic cases if elected.

“The law is written down,” Maxey said. “You just have to read it and apply it correctly. I’ll hit the ground running.”

Early this year, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the public has a constitutional right to access Family Court proceedings, and that child custody cases cannot be closed without a finding from a judge. Both Gaudet and Maxey said they were in favor of keeping hearings open and transparent.

“You need transparency, how can the public have trust in the bench if decisions are made behind closed doors?” Maxey asked.

Gaudet said that every time a case is closed to the public, judges “create distrust.”

Maxey’s endorsements include Hispanics in Politics, SEIU Local 1107 union, Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and the Nevada chapter of the National Organization for Women. Gaudet’s endorsements include multiple major law enforcement organizations, Clark County Prosecutors Association and Clark County Firefighters Local 1908.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.