An attorney's past judicial campaigns have been marked by controversy. He's running again.
James Dean Leavitt’s past judicial races in Southern Nevada have been unsuccessful and marked by controversy.
In 2018, his opponent, now-Justice of the Peace Elana Graham, unearthed a 1998 case in which Leavitt was accused of hitting a roadside flagger — an allegation he denies — and ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor reckless driving charge.
After he lost that election, police said they were called to his law office in January 2019 when he shot himself in the chest.
Then, during the 2022 election cycle, an interview Leavitt gave to the Las Vegas Review-Journal resulted in him being interviewed by Metropolitan Police Department detectives. Editors had interpreted comments he made about the murder of investigative reporter Jeff German as a potential threat.
Now, Leavitt is running again for an open seat in Department 4 of Las Vegas Justice Court. If elected, he would be a judge in a busy court that functions as the entry point for most criminal cases and also hears a high volume of evictions and small claims suits. He said in his responses to the Review-Journal’s voter questionnaire that he believes in embracing technology and also wants the court to address eviction and homelessness.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/las-vegas/an-attorneys-past-judicial-campaigns-have-been-marked-by-controversy-hes-running-again-3192088/?utm_campaign=widget&utm_medium=latest&utm_source=tag_2024-election&utm_term=An%20attorney’s%20past%20judicial%20campaigns%20have%20been%20marked%20by%20controversy.%20He’s%20running%20again.