The work the seat would cover
The new Department 4 judgeship is intended to help Henderson Justice Court handle a growing caseload, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The newspaper lists bail decisions, preliminary hearings, traffic cases, small claims and protective orders among the court’s work. Separately, Nevada Legal Services’ court-structure guide says justice courts handle civil and small claims up to $10,000, evictions, traffic matters, misdemeanors and felony preliminary hearings.
A fiscal-year snapshot of filings
According to Clark County’s FY2021 Eighth Judicial District caseload table, Henderson Justice Court recorded 2,038 criminal filings, 7,551 civil filings and 213 reopened cases. That fiscal-year snapshot provides a measure of the court’s activity, but by itself does not show whether filings rose or fell in recent years.
Experience across criminal and civil matters
The candidates’ backgrounds include different kinds of prosecution work. Michael Allmon entered the field in 2019 and joined the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in 2021 as a Special Victims Unit prosecutor, the Review-Journal reported. In remarks to the newspaper, Allmon said he had handled thousands of Justice Court cases, including bail arguments and preliminary hearings, and had prosecuted felony cases involving fatal DUI, murder and sexual misconduct. He argued that his felony experience distinguished him from John Cory; the newspaper reported Allmon’s claim that Cory had not handled a felony case.
John Cory’s experience includes work in two municipal law offices. He was a deputy Las Vegas city attorney before joining the Henderson City Attorney’s Office as a prosecuting attorney in 2022, the Review-Journal reported. His current municipal prosecution work includes adult misdemeanors such as DUIs, domestic batteries and traffic infractions. The newspaper reported that Cory has pointed to his Justice Court experience, particularly in civil matters, as preparation for the judgeship.
The election
Allmon and Cory advanced from the June 9 primary, where they defeated Trent Richards and Harvey Gruber, according to Ballotpedia. They will face each other in the Nov. 3 general election for a six-year term, the Review-Journal reported. Early voting is scheduled for Oct. 17 through Oct. 30, according to the same report.
