Attorney Marilyn Caston challenges Judge Bill Henderson for Clark County Family Court Department R seat

What happened

Clark County Family Court Judge Bill Henderson, first elected in 2008, is seeking a fourth six-year term in Department R, and attorney Marilyn Caston is running against him, Nevada Current reported. Caston finished first of three candidates in the July primary with 45% of the vote. Henderson came in second with 35%.

Early voting starts Saturday, Oct. 17, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. For more local races on the ballot, see our elections coverage.

Who is running

Judge Bill Henderson

Henderson attended Washburn University School of Law in 1984 and was admitted to the Nevada Bar in 1987, according to Nevada Current. He did not respond to the outlet's requests for an interview. His campaign website lists endorsements from several law enforcement associations, Veterans in Politics, the Nevada Veterans Association, the AFL-CIO of Nevada and IATSE 720.

Attorney Marilyn Caston

Caston earned a political science degree from UNLV and a law degree from Boyd School of Law, and she was admitted to practice in Nevada in 2009. This is her second run for the bench. She lost a 2020 primary for Family Court Department U with 24% of the vote.

Her endorsements include SEIU Nevada, Culinary Local 226, Southern Nevada Building Trades, Carpenters Local 1977 and Teamsters Nevada. Community groups PLAN Action, Independent Black Voters and the National Organization of Women have also backed her.

Evaluations, appeals and money

Half of the 107 attorneys who rated Henderson in the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Judging the Judges 2025 poll said he should be retained, Nevada Current reported. His highest score was for integrity and his lowest was for legal ability. Our Nevada Judges, which tracks judicial records, found that of 38 appeals filed on his rulings across three terms, he was in error 50% of the time.

As of October 1, Henderson had raised $49,000 and had $12,000 on hand. Caston had raised $20,800 as of July and had $3,100 in the bank.

What Caston says she would change

Caston told Nevada Current she is running because candidates elected to Family Court in 2020 lacked general family law experience in areas such as divorce, child custody and child support. She said she would like to see a Family Court version of business court to handle financially complicated divorces. She also said she would push for earlier start times and better communication with parties, who she said sometimes arrive for hearings that were cancelled without notice.

People without lawyers

In a video on his website, Henderson advises litigants to hire an attorney, at least at first, to get into court-ordered mediation. Caston said that advice is unrealistic for the 70% to 80% of parties who are unrepresented, and that mandatory mediation generally does not work once an attorney is involved. She pointed to a program led by Family Court Judge Gregory Gordon for self-represented litigants as a success.

AI in court filings

Caston said litigants using artificial intelligence to write pleadings are creating problems, telling Nevada Current that "The robots want to please you, so they will make stuff up." She said attorneys are also getting in trouble for AI errors and that, if elected, she would treat lawyers who misuse it differently than unrepresented litigants. She said one helpful use is as a "tone monitor" when parents write to an ex-partner.

How parents communicate

Caston said the way parents talk to each other can weigh heavily in custody rulings. "If you're the one perceived to be creating the conflict, it can really tip the balance," she told the outlet. She recommends co-parenting apps that help soften messages.

What to watch next

• Early voting begins Saturday, Oct. 17.
• Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, when voters will choose between Henderson and Caston for Family Court Department R.