Mary Perry Censured

Mary Perry, a Family Court judge in Nevada's Eighth Judicial District (Las Vegas), was publicly censured by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline after admitting to violating nine parts of the state's Code of Judicial Conduct. The Commission's investigation, covering two divorce cases, found a pattern of "needlessly disrespectful tone of voice, obvious changes in her mood, the use of profanity, personally demeaning comments about the litigants, and generally... lack of professional decorum toward all litigants." In one custody dispute, Perry told the divorcing parents, "Your children deserve a hell of a lot better than both of you. I'm going to take her home with me! And neither one of you will see her," and separately asked a litigant, "Are you psycho? That's a yes or no." Perry agreed to the public censure along with a 30-day unpaid suspension, which was held in abeyance for a year while she completes probation and remedial ethics training at the National Judicial College. She told the Commission her conduct may have been partly related to medications she was taking for health conditions.