In a case that has gripped the Las Vegas legal community, District Court Judge Erika Ballou has been handed a six-month suspension without pay for her handling of a criminal case involving defendant Mia Christman. The ruling came down from the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline and begins as of 12:01 a.m. today, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Alongside this suspension, Ballou must also forcefully to participate in remedial training tailored to the misconduct she’s been accused of and undergo a two-year probation period.
A unanimous decision by the commission found that Ballou violated several provisions in the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct. These violations included failing to remand Christman into custody after a Nevada Supreme Court reversal, and a lack of diligence and competence in performing judicial duties. In her defense, Ballou argued that her actions demonstrated compassion for Christman, who had given birth to a child during her time released from incarceration. According to an 8 News Now interview, Ballou stated, "I didn’t want that to happen."
The commission document, released yesterday, details the failure of Ballou to follow through on supreme court orders for Christman’s case. Christman, then 31, had been involved in a violent crime spree in 2013, at which time she was 18 years old. Ballou's attorney, Tom Pitaro, told the commission last month, "What Judge Ballou did is what a judge is supposed to do," in a statement obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Furthermore, the commission voted 7-0 in all counts, agreeing that Ballou was guilty of committing three counts of misconduct.
Prior controversies have also surrounded Judge Ballou, who, as mentioned by 8 News Now, has been previously reprimanded and ordered to take courses in judicial and social ethics. Also in 2021, she was publicly censured for posting a picture of herself with public defenders in a hot tub, and making statements criticizing police presence and safety. Clark County District Court's Chief Judge Jerry Wiese subsequently reassigned all of Ballou's criminal cases after another public defender accused the judge of mistreatment in an open court. Ballou, with over 15 years of experience as a public defender, was sworn into the bench in 2021 and is currently serving her term, which ends in 2027. While Ballou faces her suspension, Mary Ann Price, a court spokesperson, announced that a senior judge is set to temporarily cover Ballou's caseload.
