Michelle Leavitt, Dan Gillium. (Candidate photos)
Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt is seeking a fifth term on the bench, as she faces a challenge from Clark County public defender Dan Gillium.
Leavitt has retained the Department 12 seat for more than two decades after first being appointed by former Gov. Kenny Guinn in 2002. Before that, Leavitt was appointed by the Las Vegas City Council to fill a vacancy on the Municipal Court, where she was re-elected twice.
She graduated from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada in 1987 and received her law degree from California Western School in 1994.
As a district court judge, Leavitt handles both criminal and civil cases. In an interview with Our Nevada Judges, Leavitt said she typically deals with the most serious criminal offenses, including homicide.
Her error rate, or the rate of overturned decisions, for civil cases is 39.24% while her error rate for criminal cases is 12.47%, according to Our Nevada Judges.
Leavitt earned a 74.2% retention rating from attorneys who participated in the Las Vegas Review-Journal Judging the Judges 2025 survey. The retention rate represents the percentage of attorneys who affirmed a judge should stay on the bench.
Leavitt has handled several high profile homicide cases, the most recent being the 2022 murder of local journalist Jeff German by former elected Clark County official Robert Telles.
Her opponent, Guillium, has worked in the Clark County Public Defender’s office since 2021. He attended Ohio State University where he received his undergraduate degree in education in 1996, and his law degree in 2004.
He worked in the Clark County Public Defender’s office from 2005 to 2007, but left to practice as an assistant city attorney in the City of Henderson, where he mostly worked on misdemeanors.
In that role, Guillium also helped train new Henderson Police Department recruits on search and seizure laws and probable cause requirements, Guillium said in an interview with Vegas Legal Magazine.
He left the City of Henderson in 2014 to open his own practice, the Gilliam Law Group. His law firm was merged with multi-jurisdictional law firm Bighorn Law in 2018, where he handles criminal defense cases.
Gilliam unsuccessfully ran for Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Department 24 in the 2020 general election after advancing in the primary.
As of July, Gilliam reported contributions of $15,000 and had $6,200 on hand. His largest contributors were his own law firm and Jacqueline Bretell, who shares the same address as his law firm, according to financial disclosures. They each donated the max contribution of $10,000.
For the same period, Leavitt reported she’d raised more than $91,000 and had roughly $131,000 on hand. Her largest donors were the Hutchinson & Steffen law firm, the Eglet Adams law firm, the Sahara Center, and Senior Vice President and General Manager of Boyd Gaming John Sou. Each donated the max contribution of $10,000.
Leavitt has been endorsed by several unions including, SEIU Local 1107, Bartenders Local 165, and Culinary Workers Union Local 226.
She’s also been endorsed by various law enforcement groups including, the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers, the Washoe County Sheriff Deputies Association, and the Las Vegas Peace Officers Association.
Gilliam did not list any endorsements on his campaign website.
Neither candidate responded to Nevada Current’s interview requests.
In an interview with Our Nevada Judges, Leavitt said she regularly volunteers to handle overflow cases and has helped municipal courts establish misdemeanor jury trials.
Leavitt also serves as a member of the Criminal Task Force of the Judicial Assessment Commission; the Education Commission of the Nevada Judges Association, and the Supreme Court’s Mandatory Sentencing Review Commission.
Gilliam was previously involved with the Clark County Law Foundation’s Trial By Peers program, which allowed first-time juvenile offenders charged with misdemeanors to be tried, defended, and sentenced by their peers. However, the teen court model was shifted to a restorative justice model under state law in 2021.
On his campaign website, Gilliam listed equal justice for all, accessibility to justice, and transparency and efficiency as his main priorities.
In the interview with Our Nevada Judges, Leavitt said her years on the bench and lengthy career has given her a wide range of experience in handling all aspects of the law, from civil to criminal to water law.
Leavitt said she is committed to continued education and expanding her knowledge of case law.
She emphasized the importance of moving cases through the court system in a timely manner while also protecting the defendant’s constitutional rights.
