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DISTRICT COURT: Report pans Halverson

Bailiff says he felt like 'house boy'







Bailiff Johnny Jordan made District Judge Elizabeth Halverson's ice water just right.

But getting it to the correct temperature through the perfect ratio of ice to water was one of the judge's lesser demands, according to a human resources report released to the public Wednesday.


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  • Jordan said Halverson made him feel like a "house boy," according to the report.

    Halverson, who uses a motorized wheelchair, had Jordan put her shoes on for her, rub her feet and give her back massages.

    He had to make sure her oxygen tank was filled appropriately and was required to clean the floors of her chamber when it was littered with sunflower seeds and cookie crumbs.

    "Johnny is ordered to cover her up with a blanket when she lies down," the report states.

    Halverson's mother asked her once, "Is he your servant?"

    Halverson had asked Jordan, "Do you want to worship me from near or afar?"

    He and other former staffers said Halverson demeaned her staff daily and created a hostile work environment that affected the health of at least two staff members.

    And that's just part of the very unflattering picture painted in affidavits, memos and interviews with human resources included in Chief Judge Kathy Hardcastle's response to the lawsuit Halverson filed against her last week. Halverson wants the Nevada Supreme Court to reverse measures Hardcastle has taken against her since April.

    The justices will review Hardcastle's response and decide whether to have a hearing on Halverson's allegation that Hardcastle overstepped her authority.

    In her filing, Hardcastle told the justices she was forced to take action for numerous reasons, including Halverson's "seemingly volatile, angry, paranoid and bizarre behavior toward staff."

    According to documents included in the response, Halverson called her court clerk "evil one" and "Anti-Christ." She called her judicial executive assistant "an idiot," called a lawyer "a liar," referred to bailiffs as "bitches," called her husband derogatory names in front of staff and answered her phone pretending to be her law clerk.

    At one point during an April 6 meeting between Halverson and a panel of veteran judges Hardcastle had asked to give Halverson guidance, Judge Sally Loehrer recommended Halverson seek professional help to understand how she treats people. Halverson stated she was considering a business coach to communicate better.

    "Judge Halverson is re-directed to consider the help of either a psychiatrist or a psychologist," the human resources report stated.

    In District Judge Stewart Bell's affidavit, one of the many attachments submitted by Hardcastle to the state's high court, Bell wrote that courthouse staff had "made allegations which, if sustained, would amount to violations of law, county policy and union contracts. We believed that we had a duty to take immediate action to protect Judge Halverson and bailiff Jordan as well as to protect the county from potential future liability."

    Hardcastle told the justices that people who work at the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas "simply had no idea how far she was willing to carry her conduct. In light of the numerous other complaints regarding her behavior, there were legitimate concerns about the safety of those in the Courthouse."

    Through her spokeswoman, Halverson declined to comment for this article. Halverson's attorney had not yet read Hardcastle's filing late Wednesday and chose not to comment.

    In addition to requiring that Halverson to seek guidance from a panel of veteran judges, Hardcastle took Halverson's criminal cases away from her.

    On May 11, she barred Halverson from the Regional Justice Center after learning she put courthouse security at risk when she violated security protocols and brought in two bodyguards to secured areas of the courthouse. After Halverson filed her writ, the state Supreme Court ruled on May 17 that Halverson could return to work provided she followed the courthouse's security rules.

    "The only thing we ever wanted was for her to meet with the committee (of judges) to address the security concerns and the various issues," Hardcastle said Wednesday. "That's all we want. These are critical issues. They need to be addressed. She needs to be willing to address them."

    In her writ, Halverson has said she needed private bodyguards after courthouse officials removed Jordan from her courtroom, whom she said did not want to leave.

    But the human resources report and affidavits signed by judges tell a different story: Jordan has filed a discrimination complaint against Halverson and cannot be replaced until that complaint is resolved, court officials said.

    Halverson has argued Hardcastle has a vendetta against her.

    After being a District Court law clerk for nine years, Halverson was fired in 2004 by Hardcastle, who said the position is supposed to be temporary.

    Halverson then ran against Hardcastle's husband for a family court judgeship. She lost, started her own firm and then won election to the department 23 District Court bench in November.

    Because Halverson had virtually no trial experience, Hardcastle asked her to meet with veteran judges when complaints about Halverson's performance from attorneys began to arise, the chief judge said.

    Hardcastle has argued that the state Supreme Court has deemed her position to be that of a "strong chief judge" with wide-ranging authority. In her response to Halverson's writ, Hardcastle and the state attorney general representing her argue Hardcastle supervises the court administration, which handles court security. She also has the duty to adopt regulations necessary to provide for the orderly conduct of the court.

    Halverson "is very disruptive on the court and has an effect on courthouse morale," Hardcastle said.

    But Halverson and her lawyers, Bill Gamage and Dominic Gentile, have said Hardcastle has no authority to punish judges, which is what the chief judge has done by prohibiting her from performing her elected duties and taking her caseload. Only the state Commission on Judicial Discipline can take punitive measures against her.

    After the April 6 meeting with Halverson's staff, the three veteran judges, Bell, Loehrer and Art Ritchie, met with Halverson.

    In the affidavit Halverson filed with the Nevada Supreme Court, she recalls that, "The judges proceeded to berate me stating that charges would be brought with judicial discipline, that I would be removed from the bench."

    Bell's statement said they simply tried to warn Halverson that the judicial discipline commission could remove her -- but she wouldn't listen.

    Problems with her court continued and a meeting with the veteran judges was scheduled for April 12, Bell said. They waited two hours for Halverson, who did not show. When the judges realized no mentoring was going to take place they recommended Hardcastle take Halverson's criminal cases away and give her only civil cases.

    The report the judges gave to Hardcastle cited performance issues, such as "talking directly to deliberating juries, restructuring criminal trial settings to make performance for the district attorney's office and public defender's office nearly impossible, sleeping in court, etc."

    Her staff also complained their duties included keeping Halverson awake in court.

    Rumors circulated throughout the courthouse that Halverson had fallen asleep on the bench during her first criminal trial. She told the Review-Journal that she had been taking an allergy medication because the lighting in the courtroom gave her headaches. She said the medication made her "zone out" briefly but she hadn't missed any part of the trial.

    "The judge was not taking new medication," her former court clerk Kathy Streuber wrote in a memo to court officials. "She had stayed up late the night before doing her own briefs, as she stated her law clerk, Lisa Carroll, was worthless and didn't know what she was doing."

    Her former staff members also complained that Halverson was paranoid of court administration. Halverson was afraid Hardcastle was spying on her through the court audio and visual recording system, they said.

    Shortly after taking office, Halverson had Streuber, swear in her judicial executive assistant, Ileen Spoor.

    Spoor had previously been an assistant to District Judge Michael Cherry. Halverson asked her, under oath, when the last time she spoke to the now supreme court judge and whether she made any mean remarks about Halverson to him, according to Hardcastle's filing.

    That same day, Halverson had Streuber swear in Halverson's husband so Halverson could ask him, under oath, whether he had adequately cleaned their house for her mother's upcoming visit, Streuber noted to court officials.

    Streuber requested and received a transfer and is still employed in the courthouse.

    Halverson's prior court recorder, Richard Kangas, who also asked for a transferred from her department, said Halverson is brilliant and will be a great asset to the bench. But he also said her treatment of people is horrible, according to the human resources report. Kangas said Halverson would make inappropriate comments that he had to record as part of the record and she tried to get him to take those statements out of the record on more than one occasion, which he could not do.

    Kangas is now working for newly appointed District Judge David Barker.

    Halverson fired Spoor May 8. She is now employed by the county as a roving assistant. Carroll has resigned her position and no longer works at the courthouse.

    As for Jordan, he did not provide an affidavit for Hardcastle's response because he has been hospitalized for reasons that court officials declined to disclose.

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    Report abuse

    Manolo wrote on May 30, 2007 02:46 PM: Reading about the antics perpetrated by "Judge" Halverson reminds me about a "judge" in San Antonio, Texas named Karen Crouch. The similarities are striking: 1) Slob. 2) Drama queen. 3) Egotistical. 4.) Clips toe nails while presiding over cases. 5) Dangerously incompetent. I know Halverson didn't clip her toenails on the bench, but Karen Crouch did and I thought it should go on the list anyway. SOMEONE PLEASE RUN AGAINST THESE WARTS THAT HAVE GROWN ON OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM.


    Report abuse

    Vicky wrote on May 25, 2007 12:21 AM: Well, it's still the same excuse from Halverson. Everyone is against her. She's the saint and all around her are the sinners. Still the same story, Hardcastle is bitter because Halverson ran against her now ex-husband. Maybe it's Halverson who's bitter because she lost that race and wants to prove something. At this point, it's anybody's guess, but all the fingerpointing doesn't change the fact that there are plenty of attorneys not wanting their cases heard in her courtroom. The shadow of doubt she has cast on the integrity of our judicial system is an embarrassment which needs immediate attention. She has gone through an entire staff and whether or not her JEA fixed tickets is not the issue, it's the diversion. We need to be taking a hard look at Halverson's actions. It's her own actions that got her into this mess. While I don't agree that her JEA should be fixing tickets, I notice a lot of people stepping up on their soap boxes. We do not know yet whether any of this is the case or not. It could be yet another smokescreen. Let's say it was true. Does that mean then that the minimum wage fast food guy can't get free food beause I pay full price? Oh yeah, girl who works at JC Penney, no discount for you on the clothes, I have to pay full price. Sorry, fellow police officer, I have to give you a ticket because I give one to everyone else. While that is the ethical and right thing to do, truth is everyone uses the perks they have at their respective jobs, and have gotten something out of it. Is it right? No. Does it happen every day in every kind of job field. Yes. It just happens that this situaton is being used to fuel a fire. I'm sure if that did go on, there will be a price to pay. At any rate, the issue remains the same. The issue is the necessity of removing a Judge that clearly shouldn't be there.


    Report abuse

    Ginger wrote on May 24, 2007 11:32 PM: The simpletons with obtuse thought process, who have reduced this issue to a simple “cat fight” or “women issue” should keep their mouths shut and allow others to presume their denseness rather than open their mouths and remove all doubts!!!

    Judge Hardcastle should be commended for dealing with a very difficult subject.


    Report abuse

    Bill Short wrote on May 24, 2007 10:11 PM: I say both these women pick seconds and have a good old fashioned duel. They both are terrible in different ways. I think the only way to settle it is to let one of them finish the other one off.


    Report abuse

    Morgan wrote on May 24, 2007 09:36 PM: John O'Neill: Obviously 'Hooked On Phonics' did NOT work for you.


    Report abuse

    John O'Neill wrote on May 24, 2007 08:19 PM: Used to be...I hear tell, that women folk had to withdraw from the home one week per month in their child bearin years; much less vote or God forbid be a judge.

    Only the good lord above knows ifn we (that is ta say, panzi men of years past)made a large cadilac sized mistake in allowin sufffurage to git da best of us...

    In any event, there is absolutley no arguing the following point: Ifn we had kept dem women from ever being able to vote or hold public office then this would not be happening...oh yea no arguing dat point my friend.


    Report abuse

    Morgan wrote on May 24, 2007 04:51 PM: It is also interesting to note that members of Halverson's own political party are referring to Halverson as "...an embarrassment to the party" and are stating she should step down before she does more to disgrace her judicial office.


    Report abuse

    Johnson wrote on May 24, 2007 04:24 PM: "Let's not forget, Halverson was also a 9 year honest veteren of the court."



    Try it this way: Let's not forget, Halverson was also a 9 year piglet sucking from the public teet.



    She's a mess. The only way to correct the problem is recall.


    Report abuse

    Johnson wrote on May 24, 2007 04:19 PM: A quote from the Review-Journal article dated 10/24/2006.

    "[Candidate Bill] Henderson also said Halverson has a reputation in legal circles as being difficult.

    "'I believe if she got elected, she would be very arbitrary and autocratic, and would mistreat staff,' Henderson said. 'She would constantly butt heads with colleagues. I'm convinced of it. She has a reputation of being very difficult.'"

    Way to go Bill Henderson. You called it perfectly. Too bad that more people did not listen or take the time to become informed.


    Report abuse

    Roger D wrote on May 24, 2007 04:19 PM: I have met Halverson, Hardcastle, Spoor, & Jordon. The first words that come to MY mind when I think of each are:

    Halverson- Intelligent, demanding, naive, hardworking, Honest (too much so), self centered, immature, controlling, Leader.

    Hardcastle: Smooth, smart, self centered, political, vindictive, calculated, controlling, Leader.

    Spoor: Self impressed, bossy, controlling, Thinks she's in charge, untrustworthy, sneaky, Leader.

    Jordon: Kind, respectful, eager to please, unsure, easily swayed, Follower.


    Maybe what the problem is the 3 women are too much alike and buck heads. Get them all out of there. Drama queens.


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