Michele L. Mercer Reprimanded

Michele L. Mercer, a judge on Nevada's Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, accepted a public reprimand from the state Commission on Judicial Discipline resolving two separate 2023 misconduct complaints. The first found that in December 2022, Mercer asked to observe a hearing for an acquaintance who was a former client from her time in private practice, then spoke with him in her own courtroom about his case and advocated on his behalf to the staff of the judge actually presiding over it. The second complaint concerned Mercer's own handling of a child support case between February and November 2021. Mercer admitted violating several sections of the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct covering competence, integrity, and impartiality, and waived her right to a formal disciplinary hearing, accepting the public reprimand as the appropriate sanction. The stipulation was docketed with the Nevada Supreme Court on May 30, 2024.