Nevada Judge Removed From Criminal Cases After Long History of Bias
A Clark County District Court judge was removed from all criminal cases last week, a move many conservatives see as long overdue. Judge Erika Ballou will now only handle civil cases after a public defender accused her of suggesting the lawyer had a sexual relationship with a client – just the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the judge.
What Happened?
Chief Judge Jerry Wiese ordered all criminal cases reassigned from Ballou’s courtroom after public defender Anna Stone filed papers claiming that Ballou had “a deep-seated antagonism” toward her. Stone’s filing claimed that Ballou directly accused her of having a sexual relationship with a client and suggested this relationship explained her advocacy efforts.
This reassignment comes as welcome news to many who have long been concerned about Ballou’s apparent bias and disregard for the law.
A Pattern of Defying Higher Courts
This isn’t Judge Ballou’s first brush with controversy. She’s currently facing formal charges from the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline for repeatedly ignoring orders from the Nevada Supreme Court.
The case involved Mia Christman, who was convicted of robbery with a deadly weapon. Ballou released Christman from prison before she completed her sentence. When the Nevada Supreme Court overturned Ballou’s decision and ordered Christman back to prison, Ballou refused to comply – not once, but twice.
Nevada Supreme Court Justice Douglas Herndon expressed his frustration, saying:
“The walls are closing in on the District Court that is shockingly refusing to do its job.”
Why This Matters to Conservatives
For folks who believe in law and order, this case shows what can happen when ideological bias influences the justice system. When judges ignore higher court rulings and make decisions based on personal preferences rather than the law, criminals go free and public safety suffers.
Many legal experts point out that while judges do have some discretion, they cannot simply ignore Supreme Court orders or make accusations against attorneys appearing in their courtroom.
A History of Controversy
Judge Ballou is no stranger to controversy. In 2016, as a public defender, she gained attention for refusing to remove a Black Lives Matter pin in court.
In July 2022, she told a Black defendant, “You’re a Black man in America, you know you don’t want to be nowhere where cops are,” adding that she herself, as “a middle-aged, middle-class Black woman” doesn’t “want to be around where cops are because I don’t know if I’m going to walk away alive or not.”
These anti-police comments prompted then-Sheriff Joe Lombardo (now Nevada’s Governor) to publicly call for her resignation.
Lombardo issued a statement saying her “comments and courtroom conduct demonstrate bias against law enforcement and stand in complete opposition to a fair and independent judiciary.” The Las Vegas Police Protective Association also demanded her resignation and asked the Judicial Ethics Commission to sanction her.
Additionally, Ballou was censured last year for “inappropriate” social media posts, including one showing her in a hot tub with two public defenders and another suggesting court hearings be vacated because she was attending a music festival.
What Happens Next?
While Ballou continues to serve as a judge handling civil cases, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline’s case against her is ongoing. The commission could recommend anything from additional training to removal from the bench.
For voters concerned about judicial accountability, this situation offers an important reminder: judges wield tremendous power in our system, and electing those who respect legal boundaries matters greatly.
What You Can Do
If you’re concerned about judicial accountability, consider:
- Researching judicial candidates before elections
- Supporting efforts for greater transparency in courts
- Contacting your state representatives about judicial oversight
For a system of justice to work properly, we need judges who apply the law fairly and impartially – not those who let their personal ideologies influence their decisions.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
