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Family court judge removed from child welfare case
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Family Court Judge Steven Jones has been ordered removed from a child welfare case because of his personal bias against a prosecutor handling the case.
Jones banned the prosecutor, Michelle Edwards, and another prosecutor in the district attorney's child welfare unit last month from appearing in his courtroom after they helped expose his romance with a third, now former, deputy, Lisa Willardson.
Former District Attorney David Roger filed a motion last month seeking the judge's disqualification from the child welfare case, alleging he was trying to impugn the reputations of both Edwards and Deputy District Attorney Janne Hanrahan.
Jones responded that he was protecting the integrity of the judiciary from the conduct of the prosecutors.
But in a written decision late last week, District Judge Susan Johnson, sided with Roger, concluding Jones should get off the case because he admitted that he has a "personal bias or prejudice" against Edwards.
Jones' lawyer, James Jimmerson, said Monday he was disappointed with the decision.
"We have not yet seen the order and are certainly surprised by it," Jimmerson said. "We were under the impression that she was going to set a hearing and were disappointed that she didn't."
In her 10-page decision, Johnson said that she had reviewed all of the pleadings and exhibits on file in the case and didn't see the need for a hearing.
Roger said he was pleased with the ruling.
"It is unfortunate that this matter had to get to the point where we had to have another judge intervene," Roger said. "I'm hopeful now that the chief judge will review this decision and issue an administrative order transferring all of the child welfare cases from Judge Jones to another objective jurist."
Longtime child advocate Donna Coleman agreed.
"Hopefully, somewhere down the line he will be removed from all child welfare cases because his relationship with the district attorney's office is tainted," Coleman said. "The integrity of the process is at risk if he is not removed."
Concerns about the rift between Jones and the district attorney's office over the relationship with Willardson were aired earlier this month at a regular meeting of Family Court judges attended by Chief District Judge Jennifer Togliatti.
But no administrative action was taken to ease the conflict, and Jones continues to handle a normal child welfare caseload.
The conflict erupted in the waning days of Roger's administration. The former district attorney, now a general counsel with the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, has said he felt pressured by Jones to keep Willardson in the child welfare unit after the involvement between the judge and the prosecutor was brought to light at the end of October.
Roger's whistle-blowing deputies had given supervisors a photo Edwards took of Willardson and Jones appearing cozy with each other at an Oct. 28 office function at a local restaurant. Edwards believed Jones had put his hand on Willardson's jeans-covered leg. The photo appears to show the judge's hand moving toward Willardson's leg or moving away from it.
Roger ended up filing a complaint with the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline over the judge's conduct. The district attorney's office also filed a complaint with the State Bar of Nevada against Willardson, who was fired Dec. 13. Both agencies are investigating.
Roger also launched a grand jury investigation before he retired Jan. 3 into allegations both Jones and Willardson lied in sworn affidavits about the extent of their romantic involvement.
Grand jury-approved subpoenas were issued seeking cellphone records dating to October for both Jones and Willardson, courthouse sources have said.
In their affidavits, Jones and Willardson said under oath that they didn't start dating until November, after she was removed from prosecuting cases before the judge. But emails from Willardson's office computer showed the relationship might have begun while she was appearing before Jones.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.
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On those last two posts-->Do you understand what a PAKISTANI DEAL IS? Well those last two posts, that's the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PULLING A PAKISTANI DEAL ON THEIR OWN PEOPLE. Hillary Clinton nothin but a turncoat democrat sticking with that jigalo husband of hers. Do you see INTEGRITY in someone who associates with another who has spoken such things as: I NEVER HAD SEX WITH THAT WOMAN I NEVER INHALED Friend of mine pointed out to me WHAT A RED NECK RESPONSE TO THE CHARGES TYPICAL RED NECK RATIONALITY --> Then we both remembered --> AH ARKANSAS history --> MOVE TO NEW YORK ---> What preceded that intentionally? NOTHING BUT A POWER MOVE ON CLINTON'S PART to GARNER MAJORITY DEMOCRATIC POWER ON THEIR SIDE. People suffer and lose their lives in the middle of your muckin games. No more. HawkEye
Some of the covert reasons behind Hillary stepping down may include such things as lack of action by the State Department in terms of human trafficking into sex-trade industries, including MINORS AND CHILDREN at a global level and failing to disclose and bring to the attention of those in higher positions of command that an ORIGINATING POINT OF THE LEGAL FRAUD THAT ALLOWS ALL THIS TO OCCUR IS IN CLARK COUNTY-8TH DISTRICT FAMILY COURT.
Furthermore, All HawkBros report that they were so pleased to see Mitt Romeny combat the others in Florida in STELLAR STYLE. That's Mitt's Style.
Did you hear the news: MITT EVEN GOT THE LAST TWIT.
Well it's 3 days later and I figure better late than never. Let ME CLUE YOU INTO SOMETHING I KNOW FROM DIRECT EXPERIENCE OVER THE PAST 14 YEARS ---> FEDS KNOW ABOUT THE FRAUD IN 8TH DISTRICT COURT ---> THEY EVEN KNOW WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FRAUD AND THEY EVEN KNOW THE TRAIL OF THE FRAUD HAS TAKEN THROUGH DIFFERENT STATES ON CUSTODY AND DIVORCE ISSUES --> 14 YEARS THEY HAVE KNOWN THIS AND THEY KNOW THAT ALL OF IT ORIGINATES AND SPIRALS OUT FROM ONE EXTENDED FAMILY + ONE ATTORNEY + ONE FERRA-LEGAL KNOWN AS SILVIANNE STEINBACH(aka: MARYSE WAGNER) + JAMES E. SMITH (NevadaStateBar#52 now for some strange reason running under NSB#6655) + ONE FRAUD FACTORY CONEXA-LLC.COM. That's the TRUTH. THE FEDS WATCHED ONE VICTIM GO DOWN THE TUBES NOT ONCE, NOT TWICE BUT NOW IT'S THREE TIMES AND THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF OTHER VICTIMS OVER THE LAST DECADE THAT FOLLOW IN THIS VICTIMS WAKE.
It's a sad day when the FLAG DOES NOT STAND UP FOR ANY ONE UNLESS YOU ARE HILLARY CLINTON AND THAT JIGALO HUSBAND OF HERS BILL --- THINK TWICE ABOUT THE REAL REASONS SHE IS STEPPING DOWN. HawkEye.
Sad thing is none of you people will do anything about it. There are good people that are forced into walking into these corrupt courts only to get abused by NOT THE SYSTEM, but by Judges and District Attorneys who treat people like scum. You people seem to elect the lowest forms of humans to these positions that directly affect the lives of parents and children. It's really sad that Voters have NO VOTE
That the word "integrity" can be used in even the same paragraph with the words (and they are strung together deliberately) "Jimmerson & Jones" is laughable. Why don't these two vipers just "out" themselves and hang a shingle together? These two have been in utter collusion in the courts for DECADES.
all these people should be terminated.....they have no business being in position to determine, affect, effect, or impose judgement on ANYBODY given their proven dispositions....these folks are just detestable.
Jones should be permanently REASSIGNED to a different court, hearing misdemeanor cases ! Traffic tickets, drunk in public cases and jaywalking....no mas !
remove Jones and do what with him? transfer Mr Unethical to hear Divorce and Custody cases instead. As there is not enough scandal and unethical behavior in that arena already.Jones is not the only unethical Judge in Family Court
Here they come. Judge Jones will see more and more of these removals. Maybe they should just make him a law clerk. That's all his career will be worth soon.
I left LV a dozen years ago and Jones was a disaster then. Why do you keep voting him back on the bench? Oh yeah. You also retained Reid. WAKE UP!