Chris Davis wants to restore integrity and competence to our courts by shedding light on the problem. Below are some news stories which do just that: | Las Vegas Review-Journal - Feb. 4, 2011 - Department 3, incumbent George Assad faces . . . Chris Davis. Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/news/las-vegas-mayor-s-race-has-record-number-of-candidates-115340159.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 13, 2010, "Most judges won't discuss low scores" by Frank Geary - Of the 11 municipal judges rated, Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge George Assad . . . scored far worse than others on four questions involving a judge's knowledge of the law and the cases. . . . For Assad, two-thirds of approximately 115 respondents rated him "less than adequate" on two of the four questions, and more than half rated him "less than adequate" on the other two. Criticisms included "Two words, nut case" and "ruthless dictator who tramples over the Constitution and people's rights." Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/news/most-judges-won-t-discuss-low-scores-93662944.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 10, 2010, "Lawyers give poor scores to nine judges" by Frank Geary - Municipal Court Judges George Assad . . . should not be retained, according to more than 50 percent of the attorneys who rated their performance. . . . Assad [has] scored poorly in past surveys. . . . Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge George Assad and Henderson Municipal Court Judge Diana Hampton were the two city-level judges who most attorneys said should not be retained. Assad, whose 69 percent "do not retain" rating was the highest of all the judges, did not return phone calls to his office. For Assad, anonymous criticisms included, "The judge is known universally as 'Crazy Assad' for good reasons," and, "A disgrace to the bench. This mediocre lawyer should never have been allowed to become a terrible judge." Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/news/lawyers-give--poor-scores-to-nine-judges-93258919.html | | Las Vegas Sun, Oct. 7, 2009, "For judges who err, justice far from swift" by Jeff German - Count Raul Saavedra among the courthouse regulars who say Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad got off easy in connection with the unlawful detention of a Las Vegas woman in the judge’s courtroom six years ago. Saavedra was the Municipal Court marshal who took Anne Chrzanowski into custody that day under what he insists were orders from the judge. Chrzanowski was basically held hostage for a couple of hours until her boyfriend showed up to take care of some unpaid traffic tickets. The light sanctions levied against Assad years later — a written apology to Chrzanowski (who had since moved out of town) and enrollment in an ethics course — have focused attention once more on the state’s secretive and often slow-moving disciplinary process for judges. . . . Assad then managed to string out the enforcement of the punishment until July by fighting the Supreme Court’s decision. But even in his letter of apology, Assad wouldn’t accept total responsibility. He blamed what happened on a "misunderstanding" with the city marshal. Saavedra, who’s been on the job for 23 years, insists that there was no misunderstanding. He says Assad made it perfectly clear to him that he was to detain Chrzanowski. The judge’s conduct that day also wasn’t as isolated as Assad contended, Saavedra adds. In the same court session, Assad had him detain two other people in similar fashion, he says. Find at: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct/07/judges-who-err-justice-far-swift/ | Las Vegas Sun, Sept. 10, 2009, "Good thing she didn’t hold breath for apology" by Jeff German - Being a judge means never having to say you’re sorry — unless you’re ordered to. And even then, you apparently can take a year to apologize. At least you can if you’re Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad. Back in 2003, Assad had his deputy marshal detain Anne Chrzanowski. The licensed practical nurse remained in custody for two hours until her boyfriend showed up in court to take care of his unpaid traffic tickets. Assad spent months trying to persuade the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision and didn’t deliver the apology to the Judicial Discipline Commission until July 24, after the state panel ordered him to submit it. . . . Chrzanowski could not be reached for comment, but her lawyer, Cal Potter, said Wednesday that the apology, coming so many years later, is "hollow" and now "meaningless" to his client. . . . The commission later concluded that Assad "had no basis in law ... to effectively hold a defendant’s paramour hostage pending arrival of the defendant to court." Find at: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/10/good-thing-she-didnt-hold-breath-apology/ | Las Vegas Sun, Nov. 7, 2008, "Discipline on Vegas judge upheld" by Cy Ryan - The Nevada Supreme Court has refused to reconsider its order disciplining Las Vegas Justice of the Peace George Assad. In a 3-2 decision, the court said Judge Assad must make a formal apology to Ann Chrzanowski for telling her she would be held in custody until her boyfriend appeared in court to answer charges of unpaid traffic fines. Find at: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/nov/07/supreme-court-rejects-plea-vegas-jp/ |  Las Vegas Sun - Oct 22, 2008 - Chris Davis is vying to replace controversial Judges Donald Mosley who refuses to debate on Face to Face. Jon talks with District Court candidate Chris Davis about his effort to unseat Judge Donald Mosley. Find at: http://www.lasvegassun.com/videos/2008/oct/22/984/ | | Las Vegas Review-Journal - Oct 19, 2008 - Voters Guide District Court Department 14 - Deputy city attorney Chris Davis is using a political spoof to capture the attention of an Internet audience in his attempt to unseat 29-year veteran judge Donald Mosley. Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/special_sections/voter_guide/31212714.html | Las Vegas Sun, June 17, 2008, "Judge must apologize to woman he jailed’ by Cy Ryan - Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad is going to have to apologize formally to a woman he jailed for two hours because her boyfriend did not show up in court to pay four-year-old traffic tickets. . . . Besides apologizing to Ann Chrzanowski, Assad must enroll at his own expense in the next available judicial ethics class at the National Judicial College, the court said in a 5-2 decision. Joshua Madera was summoned to appear in court March 31, 2003, to clear up unpaid tickets dating to 1999. . . . Chrzanowski, Madera’s girlfriend, then called the court and was told she could appear in his place. When Chrzanowski appeared, Assad ordered her to call Madera to tell him to come to court. "Tell him you’re going to jail if he doesn’t get his butt down here," the judge said. Chrzanowski was handcuffed and made the telephone call. She then was placed in a holding cell. Find at: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jun/17/judge-must-apologize-woman-he-jailed/ | Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 16, 2008, "EDITORIAL: Judicial accountability" - anyone needed a reminder of the staggering power bestowed upon the judiciary, Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad provided it in 2003 when he locked up an innocent woman as bait to compel her boyfriend to appear in his courtroom. And if anyone needed a reminder of how hard it is to hold jurists accountable for their errors, the Nevada Supreme Court provided it Thursday by all but excusing Judge Assad's flagrant disregard of civil rights. . . . Judge Assad's decision to unlawfully strip a citizen of her liberty over someone else's unpaid parking tickets stands out as a shocking abuse of authority. No one even slightly familiar with the Bill of Rights, let alone possessing a law degree, could possibly consider such an action appropriate. Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/19968124.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 13, 2008, "Censure for judge too harsh" by Alan Choate - There is "clear and convincing evidence" that a Las Vegas municipal judge violated standards of judicial conduct. . . . Judge George Assad must apologize to a woman he ordered locked up at traffic court for two hours, and pay for and attend a class on judicial ethics. . . . "Judge Assad admitted that he had no legal authority to detain Chrzanowski based on Madera's failure to appear," the ruling says. "Judge Assad knew that his threat to her did not 'comply with the law,' it did not show respect for the law, and it did not promote public confidence in the judiciary's integrity." Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/news/19884009.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal - Jun 12, 2008 - Judicial candidate Chris Davis doesn't look like a pit bull, but that's certainly the approach he's taking trying to unseat District Judge Don Mosley. This week, he's dotting the valley with 300 signs declaring "Tired of Corruption? ChrisDavisFor Judge.com." Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/news/19817274.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 22, 2008, "Some lawyers perceive judicial bias" by Margaret Ann Miille - In municipal courts, George Assad got the worst less-than-adequate score of 40 percent. . . . Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/news/19169294.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 18, 2008, "Scandals play role in retention scores this year" by Margaret Ann Miille - George Assad, a Municipal Court judge, got a retention score of 44 percent, down 23 percentage points. Last year, the Judicial Discipline Commission reprimanded him for detaining a woman in 2003 for no legally justifiable reason. Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/news/19053379.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 27, 2007, "Judge Halverson suspended with pay" - In March 2003, the commission reprimanded Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad for detaining a woman, the girlfriend of a defendant who wasn't present, for no legally justifiable reason. That reprimand was issued in February, nearly four years after Judge Assad violated the woman's rights. Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/8757352.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 1, 2007, "Delays in discipline criticized" by Carri Geer Thevenot - In Assad's case, he had detained a defendant's girlfriend without any legal basis. The woman had gone to court on her boyfriend's behalf in March 2003, and Assad ordered his bailiff to take her into custody to coerce her to call her boyfriend and persuade him to come to court. The commission reprimanded Assad in February, almost four years after he had detained the woman. Find at: http://www.lvrj.com/news/8270117.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, February 10, 2007, "Judge reprimanded by state commission" by K. C. Howard - The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline reprimanded a Las Vegas Municipal Court judge Friday for handcuffing and confining a defendant's girlfriend until the defendant appeared. The seven-member commission found that George Assad violated a portion of the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct that states a judge must comply with the law and act to promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. . . . On March 31, 2003, Joshua Madera was scheduled to appear before Assad in regard to a late payment for a traffic citation. Instead, Anne Chrzanowski, the defendant's girlfriend, appeared in front of the judge on Madera's behalf. . . . Assad threatened to lock Chrzanowski up until Madera appeared. The bailiff took her to call Madera and then handcuffed her and placed her in a holding cell with another defendant. "Tell him you're going to jail if he doesn't get his butt down here -- real fast," Assad told her, according to court transcripts. . . . The commission found Assad's directive to Chrzanowski to go with his bailiff in an effort to make Madera "get his butt" down to court did not comply with the law or promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. Find at: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2007/Feb-10-Sat-2007/news/12511837.html | | Las Vegas Sun, Jun 17, 2006 - Outside the state, the findings of the Times report and this week's responses from Nevada officials drew strong criticism. "The conflicts in many of the cases were blatant," said Michael I. Krauss, a law professor with an expertise in legal ethics at George Mason Law School in Virginia. "If the L.A. Times articles are accurate, these individual judges should be disciplined. In most states, the discipline would be removal from office." But Nevada isn't most states. Sharon Dolovich, a UCLA law and legal ethics professor, said: "People in Nevada need to be troubled by when their district attorney and attorney general's offices aren't willing to investigate when one of the most respected papers in the country raises serious suspicions about corruption in their judicial system." Find at: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2006/jun/17/jaded-justice/ | Las Vegas Review-Journal, April 14, 2006, "Ethics complaint made against municipal judge" by Ed Vogel - A Las Vegas municipal judge has been charged with violating judicial ethics rules by detaining a woman who was not a party to a case before his court. . . . Commission on Judicial Discipline prosecutor Mary Boetsch brought the charge against Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad on Tuesday. . . . According to Boetsch, Assad ordered Chrzanowski held until Madera arrived and told his bailiff to jail her if he did not show up. Chrzanowski called Madera from Assad's office phone, then was handcuffed and placed in a holding cell until the man arrived. Boetsch said Assad had "no legal basis" to place Chrzanowski, "a nonlitigant," into custody and his actions violated the Canons of Judicial Conduct. Find at: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-14-Fri-2006/news/6855997.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, April 11, 2006, "Galardi names more officials" by Adrienne Packer - Former strip club owner Michael Galardi rattled off a list of public officials Monday to whom he said he made cash payments. . . . Galardi also testified he gave campaign contributions to district judges George Assad, Donald Mosley and Municpal Court Judge Toy Gregory. Find at: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Apr-11-Tue-2006/news/6808903.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 28, 2006, "Disentangling the provable Galardi allegations proves to be monumental" by John L. Smith - When Cheetahs topless bar owner Michael Galardi found himself in the middle of a political corruption case with ties to Clark County commissioners and beyond, he wisely hooked up with attorney Ira J. Raphaelson. The result was a remarkably swift and favorable agreement for Galardi -- and a lot of trouble and embarrassment for the dozens of people he named to interviewers as persons he was able to corrupt. . . . Galardi accused . . . Assad of accepting a $5,000 check and $5,000 in cash from County Commissioner-turned-lobbyist Lance Malone in an exchange in the bathroom of the California Pizza Kitchen at the Golden Nugget. Find at: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Mar-28-Tue-2006/news/6580677.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, September 8, 2004, "Treasures stripper not guilty of soliciting" by J. M. Kalil - During his race last year to keep the post, Assad was criticized for accepting campaign contributions from strip clubs that compete with Treasures. Of the dozens of people who contributed to Assad's campaign, only four gave the top limit of $5,000. Two of those four maximum contributors are Rick Rizzolo and Mike Galardi. Rizzolo is the owner of the Crazy Horse Too topless club. Galardi, now under federal indictment, at the time was the owner of Jaguars and Cheetah's strip clubs. Find at: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Sep-08-Wed-2004/news/24717812.html | Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 29, 2003, "ACLU: Court held woman ‘hostage’ by Glenn Puit - A Las Vegas woman said she was handcuffed and jailed for nearly three hours in Municipal Court to ensure her boyfriend's appearance in court on $310 in traffic fines. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, the March detention of Ann Chrzanowski is the latest in a series of illegal detentions by Southern Nevada judges. "She was essentially a hostage," said Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the ACLU of Nevada. "No one can point to any state statute that allows for someone to be taken hostage like this." Municipal Judge George Assad, whose order led to Chrzanowski's detention on March 31, says he did nothing wrong in the case. Find at: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/May-29-Thu-2003/news/21420617.html |
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