Post by Anja Nieser on Oct 1, 2006 6:39:47 GMT -5
Judges grilled on courthouse security, capital punishment
A Washoe District judge appointed to the bench in April told a lawyers
group Thursday that she wants the chance to prove herself on the job,
while her opponent in the November election said he is the most qualified
for the post.
Also featured at the Washoe County Bar Association candidate debate
luncheon were the 2 lawyers seeking the job as Reno City Attorney: John
Kadlic and Brett Kandt.
Judge Bridget Robb Peck, 43, appointed to Department 7 by Gov. Kenny Guinn
when Judge Peter Breen retired, told lawyers that she looks at her new
position as a new career, and hopes to be on the bench for the next 20
years.
But Reno lawyer Patrick Flanagan, 53, her opponent in the Nov. 7 election
and 1 of 3 lawyers nominated by the Nevada Commission on Judicial
Selection to replace Breen, said everyone who applied for Breen's seat
knew he or she would face the election, and he believes he "is the best
qualified candidate."
"I want to allow the public to make the decision as to my qualifications
as district judge," Flanagan said.
The luncheon, attended by local lawyers and judges, including Judge Chuck
Weller, who led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, ran for about an
hour, with questions coming anonymously from the lawyers.
One asked Flanagan how he would handle capital cases, since he has been a
vocal opponent of the death penalty.
Flanagan said he has had 2 clients who were sentenced to death and
executed, "and I understand the gravity of this." But he said judges must
make sure that their personal opinions do not impact their rulings.
"It is the duty of the judge to follow the law," he said, "and the death
penalty is the law in the state of Nevada." Therefore, as a judge, he
would follow the law, he said. Flanagan added that prosecutors decide to
seek a death sentence, and juries are assigned the job of deciding whether
a person should be executed, so judges play a small role in such cases.
When asked her views of capital punishment, Peck said: "I do believe there
are certain crimes that are so heinous that the death penalty is
warranted," including crimes against the elderly, children, and
first-responders trying to help those in need.
She added that judges do not play a small role in how death penalty cases
are handled, and noted that in the United States, it often has been used
in cases involving the poor, and the uneducated, and by lawyers who sleep
through the trial.
"Those are the things a judge needs to take care of," she said.
Security problems
Both candidates were asked about courthouse security, both acknowledged
there's a problem.
But Flanagan said judges are not security experts, and said the sheriff's
office has done audits on the security at the courts, and they are the
ones who should be a part of any security changes.
Peck said the current situation in the court puts all people at risk. The
elevators are used by witnesses, jurors, judges, and criminal defendants
alike, she said. And families of victims must wait in the same hallways as
the families of defendants.
Upgrading the security plans should be done to "keep everyone in the
courthouse safe, not just the judges."
Kadlic, 58, and Kandt, 39, are seeking the city attorney post vacated by
Patricia Lynch, who is running for Reno Justice of the Peace.
Kadlic, a former prosecutor and justice of the peace, said he plans to
"attack graffiti" with a campaign he's calling "the night has a thousand
eyes." He said "everybody needs to get involved and resolve the problem,"
and said the community needs to look at the underlying causes of the
crime.
Kandt, a former deputy attorney general and the head of the Prosecution
Advisory Council at the Nevada Department of Justice, said a city attorney
has three main responsibilities: to protect the community's tax dollars by
giving timely and accurate legal advise; to protect community safety and
to provide leadership.
Kadlic, who served as a Reno Justice of the Peace for 16 years before
losing the post in 1998, was asked if he was aware that he lost that race
because one of his "shortcomings was how you treated people."
Kadlic said he was going through a bitter divorce, "and it was a tough
time in my life."
"I've learned from that experience, and I would treat people with dignity
and respect," he said, adding that he apologized to anyone he may have
offended.
(source: Reno Gazette-Journal)
A Washoe District judge appointed to the bench in April told a lawyers
group Thursday that she wants the chance to prove herself on the job,
while her opponent in the November election said he is the most qualified
for the post.
Also featured at the Washoe County Bar Association candidate debate
luncheon were the 2 lawyers seeking the job as Reno City Attorney: John
Kadlic and Brett Kandt.
Judge Bridget Robb Peck, 43, appointed to Department 7 by Gov. Kenny Guinn
when Judge Peter Breen retired, told lawyers that she looks at her new
position as a new career, and hopes to be on the bench for the next 20
years.
But Reno lawyer Patrick Flanagan, 53, her opponent in the Nov. 7 election
and 1 of 3 lawyers nominated by the Nevada Commission on Judicial
Selection to replace Breen, said everyone who applied for Breen's seat
knew he or she would face the election, and he believes he "is the best
qualified candidate."
"I want to allow the public to make the decision as to my qualifications
as district judge," Flanagan said.
The luncheon, attended by local lawyers and judges, including Judge Chuck
Weller, who led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, ran for about an
hour, with questions coming anonymously from the lawyers.
One asked Flanagan how he would handle capital cases, since he has been a
vocal opponent of the death penalty.
Flanagan said he has had 2 clients who were sentenced to death and
executed, "and I understand the gravity of this." But he said judges must
make sure that their personal opinions do not impact their rulings.
"It is the duty of the judge to follow the law," he said, "and the death
penalty is the law in the state of Nevada." Therefore, as a judge, he
would follow the law, he said. Flanagan added that prosecutors decide to
seek a death sentence, and juries are assigned the job of deciding whether
a person should be executed, so judges play a small role in such cases.
When asked her views of capital punishment, Peck said: "I do believe there
are certain crimes that are so heinous that the death penalty is
warranted," including crimes against the elderly, children, and
first-responders trying to help those in need.
She added that judges do not play a small role in how death penalty cases
are handled, and noted that in the United States, it often has been used
in cases involving the poor, and the uneducated, and by lawyers who sleep
through the trial.
"Those are the things a judge needs to take care of," she said.
Security problems
Both candidates were asked about courthouse security, both acknowledged
there's a problem.
But Flanagan said judges are not security experts, and said the sheriff's
office has done audits on the security at the courts, and they are the
ones who should be a part of any security changes.
Peck said the current situation in the court puts all people at risk. The
elevators are used by witnesses, jurors, judges, and criminal defendants
alike, she said. And families of victims must wait in the same hallways as
the families of defendants.
Upgrading the security plans should be done to "keep everyone in the
courthouse safe, not just the judges."
Kadlic, 58, and Kandt, 39, are seeking the city attorney post vacated by
Patricia Lynch, who is running for Reno Justice of the Peace.
Kadlic, a former prosecutor and justice of the peace, said he plans to
"attack graffiti" with a campaign he's calling "the night has a thousand
eyes." He said "everybody needs to get involved and resolve the problem,"
and said the community needs to look at the underlying causes of the
crime.
Kandt, a former deputy attorney general and the head of the Prosecution
Advisory Council at the Nevada Department of Justice, said a city attorney
has three main responsibilities: to protect the community's tax dollars by
giving timely and accurate legal advise; to protect community safety and
to provide leadership.
Kadlic, who served as a Reno Justice of the Peace for 16 years before
losing the post in 1998, was asked if he was aware that he lost that race
because one of his "shortcomings was how you treated people."
Kadlic said he was going through a bitter divorce, "and it was a tough
time in my life."
"I've learned from that experience, and I would treat people with dignity
and respect," he said, adding that he apologized to anyone he may have
offended.
(source: Reno Gazette-Journal)