Clark County's Family Court Department S will sit without a judge until voters settle the race in November, after the Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection declined to forward primary vote leader Kristine Brewer for a temporary gubernatorial appointment. The seat opened when Judge Vincent Ochoa retired unexpectedly, and Brewer, the only person who applied for the interim post, will instead face Hearing Master Randall Forman in a general election runoff.
The commission's decision, detailed in a news release and reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, means the temporary appointment and the November election are proceeding as entirely separate processes, with no judge sitting in Department S in the meantime. Douglas Herndon, who chairs the commission and serves as chief justice of the Nevada Supreme Court, said he could not discuss the panel's private deliberations but noted that the commission carefully considers each applicant and the circumstances surrounding a vacancy. The commission offered no public explanation for leaving the seat vacant, per the same report.
The gap has real consequences for Clark County families. The Eighth Judicial District Court's Family Division, established in January 1993, handles family and juvenile cases presided over by 20 judges; the Family Law Self-Help Center says there are 20 family court judges who handle divorce, custody, and child support matters for a county of more than 2.2 million residents. Family court matters are randomly assigned to family court judges.
How the Appointment Process Usually Works
Under Article 6, Section 20 of the Nevada Constitution, mid-term district court vacancies are normally filled by the governor choosing from a slate of three nominees picked by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection, according to Ballotpedia. For district court openings, the commission's usual seven members expand to nine by adding one attorney and one lay resident from the affected judicial district. The constitutional process calls for a slate of three nominees.
The Three-Nominee Rule The constitutional process for filling a mid-term district court vacancy calls for the commission to forward three nominees to the governor.
Alex Falconi, with the nonprofit Our Nevada Judges, which covers Nevada judges through interviews, data, and courtroom reporting, said it is not unusual for the commission to appoint someone who is also running in an active election. Falconi added that the appointment would have given Brewer advantages associated with incumbency heading into November, per the Review-Journal. The commission has made different calls elsewhere this cycle: it nominated Peter Thunell and Daniel Hooge to Governor Joe Lombardo in March, who then selected Thunell for the Department 26 seat, while Thunell and Hooge's primary opponent, Justice of the Peace Jessica Goodey, won her own race outright. In April, the commission selected Alexander Morey for a separate bench opening, and Lombardo appointed him.
A Runoff Shaped by Money and a Robe
Brewer led the June primary with 47.8% of the vote, just short of the majority needed to win outright under Nevada's nonpartisan election rules, which allow a candidate to avoid a runoff only by clearing 50%. Forman finished second with 39.1%, and Tanner Harris took 13.1% and was eliminated, sending the race to a November runoff between Brewer and Forman.
Brewer has practiced family law in Nevada since 2004 and has held quasi-judicial roles in Clark County, including truancy diversion judge, parent coordinator, and pro bono settlement master, according to The Nevada Independent. Her finances became a campaign issue after she reported a federal tax lien from unpaid income taxes; she has said she retained a tax attorney and taken steps to resolve the matter. Brewer and Robert Blau filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy late in 2025, listing about $240,000 in combined debts, including nearly $190,000 in back taxes tied to federal liens dating to 2018. A bankruptcy judge granted them a discharge in February 2026, releasing them from personal liability for most of the listed debts. Her campaign had raised $19,063 and reported $24,150 in expenses by July.
Forman, for his part, has practiced family law for more than 15 years and served five years as a Clark County Family Court commissioner and hearing master, presiding over domestic matters including protection orders, per the same Nevada Independent profile. He chose not to apply for the interim appointment, saying his existing hearing-master job would not have been guaranteed to him if he filled the seat temporarily and then lost in November. Forman said the primary results showed him where the race stands and where his campaign needs to improve, and he plans to attend and host more events this month. He maintains there is a path for him to win, pointing to his temperament, fairness, and reputation among attorneys as reasons he is the better choice.
The primary also produced a smaller ethics dispute: a former court attorney criticized Forman's use of a campaign photo showing him in a judicial robe, citing a 2002 Nevada Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics opinion barring hearing officers from wearing robes in campaign materials, according to discussion on Reddit. Forman defended the choice by citing First Amendment rights.
Part of a Bigger Countywide Shake-Up
Part of a Bigger Countywide Shake-Up Department S is one of six Family Division races contested in November. District court judges in Nevada serve six-year terms, meaning the outcomes this November will shape the county's bench well beyond the current election cycle. Until then, the Department S seat will remain vacant, with the race to be decided at the ballot box.
