Clark County voters deciding who sits on the bench in Family Court Department E are choosing between a judge who has held the seat for 17 years and a challenger who ran countywide for district attorney four years ago while carrying a felony drug conviction in his past. Incumbent Judge Charles Hoskin, 62, faces Timothy Treffinger in a race that blends questions about courtroom error rates and undisclosed travel against a candidate's own criminal and disciplinary history.
Hoskin has served in Department E since 2009, when Republican Governor Jim Gibbons appointed him, according to historical reporting from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He went on to win election to retain the seat in 2010, 2014 and 2020, and as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he earned his law degree from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, in 1991 after completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Utah and graduating from Bonanza High School in 1981. Before taking the bench, he practiced civil litigation, estate planning and family law as a private attorney.
Nevada District Court judges, including those in the Family Division, serve six-year terms and run in nonpartisan elections, meaning candidates cannot campaign under party labels on the ballot, according to the Eighth Judicial District Court. Hoskin told the Review-Journal he approaches cases by being considerate and prepared, and said family court should move people through cases as expeditiously and efficiently as possible. He also said the court needs more judges to avoid delays, and noted the court has worked to provide more resources for people without lawyers during his time on the bench.
Performance Ratings Collide With Error-Rate Criticism
In the Review-Journal's 2025 judicial performance evaluation, Hoskin received an 82.9 percent rating, with nearly that same share of responding lawyers saying he should remain on the bench. That survey measures whether lawyers believe a judge should keep the job, the paper's reporting notes. At the same time, Hoskin has had one of the higher error rates among Clark County judges, a statistic that tracks how often a higher court finds a judge's ruling was erroneous.
Hoskin disputed how that error-rate statistic is categorized, telling the Review-Journal that appellate judges reviewing transcripts lack the live context he has in the courtroom. He also said the number reflects the sheer volume of cases he hears. Separately, Hoskin failed to report roughly three or four trips sponsored by George Mason University's Law and Economics Center, and he later amended his financial disclosure statements after learning the trips needed to be reported, saying he did not understand the disclosure requirement until he learned of it.
A Modernization Legacy Alongside the Scrutiny
Hoskin's tenure also includes a technical contribution to the court's operations: he issued the initial digital order launching the Eighth Judicial District Court's “Order in the Court” automated order-processing system in April 2020, according to the Clark County Bar Association. Family law cases in Clark County are heard by 20 family court judges who are randomly assigned to matters, according to the Family Law Self-Help Center — a structural detail that underscores just how much continuity, or disruption, a single judge's seat can carry for Clark County families.
Treffinger's Path From Prosecutor to DA Candidate
Treffinger brings his own résumé to the race. Before entering private practice focused on criminal defense and family law, his background included the Nevada Attorney General's Office, the Review-Journal has reported. He now works at American Freedom Group Law, which the State Bar of Nevada lists as specializing in personal injury, criminal, family and civil litigation.
In 2022, Treffinger mounted an unsuccessful Republican campaign for Clark County District Attorney, running unopposed in the primary before facing incumbent Democrat Steve Wolfson in the general election. Wolfson defeated him by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent.
A Felony Conviction and Bar Discipline in His Past
That personal experience traces back to 2015, when Treffinger pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance. A criminal complaint alleged he maintained a residence in Pahrump with knowledge that it was used to keep or sell controlled substances, and that people who used heroin or methamphetamine frequented the home. He was ordered to three years of probation and required to complete a treatment and rehabilitation program.
The Nevada Supreme Court later ruled in In re Discipline of Timothy R. Treffinger that his conditional guilty plea constituted a conviction of a “serious crime” under state bar rules, triggering an interim law license suspension and formal disciplinary proceedings, according to FindLaw. The court noted that successful completion of a diversion program would have prevented a final criminal judgment of conviction. The State Bar of Nevada Disciplinary Board issued a public reprimand concerning Treffinger in 2017, and a state bar disciplinary panel expressed concern about his continued successful participation in probation.
Treffinger did not respond to several email and phone interview requests from the Review-Journal for this story. State campaign finance records also show he has not filed his July 15 contributions and expenses report, according to the Nevada Secretary of State's website.
A Rare Contested Seat in a Mostly Quiet Cycle
In the 2026 election, voters are deciding 31 percent of the state's trial bench, according to the Nevada Independent. The Family Division handles domestic relations, child support, custody and guardianship cases, per the Eighth Judicial District Court.
The Department E contest joins a cluster of contested Clark County judicial races this cycle that Hoodline has covered, including the fight over Family Court Department N, the money-heavy Department 29 contest between Judge Reynolds and prosecutor Quagge, and the Department P race that drew attention for its own censure and suspension history.
