Three vie for seat on Clark County bench 

By: Dana Gentry, Nevada Current

The justice of the peace

“I was elected to a six-year term, so even by running for the District Court position, I’m leaving my seat two years early,” she said. “I don’t want to leave it any earlier than that.” 

Goodey, a 2010 graduate of Boyd School of Law, was elected to Justice Court in 2022. She says her experience in civil law sets her apart from her opponents, who are both former prosecutors. 

“I think that’s probably the most important factor, and that’s actually why I decided to jump into this race,” she said during a phone interview. “I wasn’t planning on running in 2026 and then Judge Sturman announced her retirement.”

The department, under Sturman, had a vigorous civil caseload. 

“When there was no one in the race with any significant civil experience, I jumped in,” Goodey says, adding she thinks it’s important that judges handling civil cases have experience handling them as attorneys. 

In her capacity as vice-president of the Nevada Judges of Limited Jurisdiction, an association of local and municipal judges, Goodey testified last year before state lawmakers on two controversial measures – Gov. Joe Lombardo’s crime bill and a rent assistance bill.  

“True justice involves addressing the root causes of why people enter the courtroom,” Goodey says on her website. “By expanding diversion programs – like the Eviction Diversion Program – we can reach amicable resolutions that keep seniors in their homes and ensure property owners are made whole.” 

Diversion programs, Goodey says, “stabilize our neighborhoods, reduce recidivism, and transform lives by focusing on recovery and productivity.” 

Current funding supports eviction diversion for disabled tenants and those aged 62 and older.

“Given the additional funds that we receive from the Legislature, we’re looking at expanding to include houses with young children,” Goodey said, adding the use of the funds is determined by Clark County Social Services. 

Goodey testified in neutral during the special session last year on Lombardo’s crime bill, which authorized judges to establish a specialized court for cases involving the Las Vegas tourism corridor. 

Goodey raised concerns about a requirement that judges report case data to the Legislature, rather than the Supreme Court, a potential violation of separation of powers, she said.  

Her website says she’s committed to running a court “that respects your time and taxpayer resources,” and says she’s worked to make courts “more efficient, transparent, and accessible.”

She received high marks for fairness in the Las Vegas Review Journal’s Judging the Judges evaluation. About three-quarters of attorneys responding said she was familiar with the case record, and about the same percentage said she weighed all the evidence. 

Her most important lesson in her first term on the bench is to apply the law “as it is written, as the Legislature intended. I don’t think judges should be lawmakers.” 

She supports making access to all court Zoom hearings available to the public, absent any protests from the parties or their attorneys.