03/18/2026
New press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2026
Contact:
Joseph R. Maridon, Jr.
Attorney at Law
The Maridon Law Firm / LV Traffic Ticket Guy
Phone: (702) 970-4224
Las Vegas, Nevada
Clark County’s Rural Justice Courts Plagued by Administrative Dysfunction—Calls for Immediate Accountability
What has Karen Powell done for you lately?
LAS VEGAS, NV — Clark County taxpayers and residents of the Outlying/Rural Justice Courts (Moapa, Searchlight, Boulder City, Laughlin, Mesquite, Bunkerville, Goodsprings, and Moapa Valley) deserve straight answers about the performance of Court Administrator Karen Powell, who oversees these courts under the direct supervision of Deputy County Manager Daniel Stewart.
For more than 15 years, attorneys and litigants have faced relentless administrative dysfunction in Powell’s domain: attorney calls from identified business lines ignored indefinitely (while blocked or unknown numbers get immediate answers), voicemails that go unanswered across all Clark County justice courts, and essential records withheld or misclassified—often requiring District Court orders just to enforce basic compliance with the law.
A glaring recent example: In Eighth Judicial District Court Case No. A-26-940042-A (appeal from Searchlight Township Justice Court), the District Court had to intervene, ordering the justice court to produce a required transcript within 30 days or justify delay. The court had refused to release the JAVS recording (labeled “confidential” and internal-use-only under AO-1-2025) and failed to transmit the official record as required by EDCR 9.06. This is not isolated; it’s symptomatic of a long pattern under Powell’s administration that burdens defendants, attorneys, and the judicial system as a whole.
Powell’s history adds context: She was previously terminated from Clark County employment, then filed a federal lawsuit in 2019 (Cale-Powell v. Clark County et al., Case No. 2:19-cv-00981) challenging that termination before being reinstated to her current role. Complaints about these persistent issues frequently reach Deputy County Manager Daniel Stewart, who supervises Powell and the outlying courts—yet he routinely forwards them to the Clark County “Legal” department, conveniently shielding the problems from direct resolution.
To the elected Justices of the Peace in the Outlying/Rural Justice Courts—Judge Ruth Kolhoss (Moapa Township), Judge Chris Jeter (Searchlight Township), Judge Christopher Tilman (Boulder City Township), Judge Gregor Mills (Moapa Valley Township), and the judges of Laughlin, Mesquite, Bunkerville, and Goodsprings—you have real authority and discretion here. Unlike centralized county operations, rural township judges are not bound to the current administrative setup. You can choose who administers your courts and how they serve the public. You can demand leadership that ensures open access, efficient operations, compliance with court rules and procedural requirements, and actual responsiveness to defendants and counsel—rather than practices that invite higher-court mandates, delay justice, and erode public confidence in the courts.
By allowing Karen Powell’s tyrannical reign of inefficiency, stonewalling, and selective access to continue unchallenged, you yourselves become the tyrants. Your inaction perpetuates barriers to justice in your own courtrooms, prejudices the constitutional rights of the people you swore to serve, and forces unnecessary escalations that waste public resources. The power to end this lies with you—choose accountability over complicity.
Clark County’s rural communities should not have to battle this hard for basic court access. Defendants’ due process rights should never depend on administrative whims. Taxpayers should not fund a system that routinely requires District Court compulsion to function properly.
It’s past time for change. The rural Justices of the Peace have the authority to select better administration. The question for them—and for every resident they serve—is inescapable:
What has Karen Powell done for you lately?
About The Maridon Law Firm / LV Traffic Ticket Guy
The Maridon Law Firm, led by Attorney Joseph R. Maridon, Jr., is committed to fighting for clients’ rights and advocating for fair, effective court administration throughout Clark County and beyond. For more information or assistance, contact us at (702) 970-4224 or visit maridonlaw.com.
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