Judgement Pending For Empirical Vegas Judge Accused Of Ruling With Iron Fist

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The story of Elizabeth Halverson is anything but simple and as they say, all stories have two sides. So how did it get so complicated for the 50-year-old woman who stands to lose all she has accomplished in such a short time?

Halverson got her law degree from the University of Southern California. She worked as a law clerk in the state of Nevada for 9 years before being sworn in as a judge in 2006. Quite an amazing feat for anyone, but at 50, even more so.

She has one more hurdle to overcome. Halverson is obese and is diagnosed with several underlying medical conditions that require additional therapy interventions such as an oxygen tank and a motorized scooter.

Judge Halverson was suspended from her position just 6 months after being sworn in for allegedly playing Catherine the Great in her own courtroom. Charges include judicial misconduct and creating a hostile work environment as well as the suspending commission alleging Halverson's mistreatment of staff, hiring a technician and hacking into a court computer, tainting juries by inappropriately meeting with them causing two mistrials in sexual assault cases and falling asleep on the bench as reasons.

According to the article, a complaint by her former Bailiff, Johnnie Jordan, Jr. says:

Halverson made him feel like a "houseboy." He says the judge — who is obese and uses a motorized scooter to get around — made him put her shoes on her feet, massage her back, cover her with a blanket for naps and make sure her oxygen tank was filled. He says she asked him, "Do you want to worship me from near or afar?"

When Jordan was reassigned, Halverson hired her own security force, even allowing them to bypass security checks. She would go as far as calling '911' when court administrators would try to enter her public office.

Again, it appears as if the case is cut and dry but digging through Halverson's history, she had been let go of her legal clerk duties in 2004 by a Judge Kathy Hardcastle who claimed Elizabeth needed to move on.

The initiating offending Judge in the summer of 2007 who locked Halverson out of her office? Chief Clark County District Court Judge, Kathy Hardcastle.

Halverson had apparently ran for a seat against Judge Hardcastle's husband as a Family Court Judge. Halverson lost.

Halverson's defense attorney, John Arrascanda, has equated the allegations against his client to her physical condition and says:

"We believe the Judicial Discipline Commission has overreacted. It's apparent that some people believe her physical appearance somehow makes her unable to perform her duties as a judge." He added: "Last time I checked, being a judge doesn't require a beauty contest."

Even experts at the University of Nevada were caught off guard by commission's decision to suspend Halverson, claiming her to be a public threat, as well as Hardcastle's actions saying that the removal of a judge should be reserved for the corrupt and incompetent and asking:

`Is this judge so bad we have to remove her before the voters have a chance to do so?'

Judge Elizabeth Halverson's open trial is set for next week. She has also applied for re-election in August but on that same token, has filed a request to stop the election, citing reasons of unconstitutionality over procedural changes.

The complications associated with this case will most likely surround providing the proof that Judge Halverson did in fact do the things that the commission alleges. As for the abuse in her courtroom? The defense is disgruntled employees.

Kind of like some bizarre twist on a pseudo sit-com gone awry.