Judge Jerry Wiese faces attorney Joshua Santeramo for Clark County District Court Department 30 on Nov. 3

What happened

Voters in Clark County will choose who presides over District Court Department 30 in the Nov. 3 election, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Incumbent Judge Jerry Wiese, who first joined the bench in 2011, is being challenged by attorney Joshua Santeramo. Both candidates told the Review-Journal that their legal experience makes them the right fit for the seat.

The race is one of several contested judicial elections on this fall's ballot. For key dates and options for casting a ballot, see our Clark County voting guide.

Who the candidates are

Joshua Santeramo

Santeramo works at the Nevada Attorneys for Workers, a state agency that helps with workers' compensation representation, according to the Review-Journal. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, attended the University of California, Davis, and earned his law degree from UNLV. He told the outlet that difficult life experiences drew him to volunteer work and civic duty, which led him toward law.

He spent the first decade of his career in insurance and employment defense, later adding plaintiff-side employment work and criminal defense. He has spent the past five years at the Nevada Attorneys for Workers, the Review-Journal reported.

Jerry Wiese

Wiese recently served as the District Court's chief judge until that term expired, the Review-Journal reported. He grew up in Las Vegas, attended Ranch High School, and graduated from Brigham Young University and McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. He was a practicing attorney for 16 years.

Wiese said he began considering a judgeship after Tim Williams, who presides over Department 16, suggested he had the temperament for it. He received an 83 percent retention score in the Review-Journal's 2025 Judicial Performance Evaluation.

How each makes his case

Santeramo's argument for change

Santeramo told the Review-Journal he decided to run because he believes a healthy judiciary needs more competitive races. He also cited what he described as a high number of Wiese's decisions being overturned, and said the court needs more diversity in experience. "I think my unique legal background is missing on the District Court bench," he said.

He said most judges come from the same small pools in the legal community. Santeramo also said the biggest union in Nevada, court staff and court security back his campaign, and he urged voters to weigh that support rather than his opponent's friends and money.

Wiese's case for experience

Wiese summed up his campaign as experience, integrity and fairness, according to the Review-Journal. He acknowledged that not every one of his decisions has been correct, but said he has no ego about being challenged and wants to get answers right. He added that much of the law now in place did not exist when he started on the bench.

"I felt like as a judge, I could make more of a difference in the community," Wiese told the outlet. He said he hopes everyone in his courtroom feels they get a fair hearing, and that even those who lose understand his reasoning.

Other judicial races

The Review-Journal has profiled a number of other contested court races this cycle. They include District Judge Joanna Kishner facing challenger Alexandra McLeod, District Judge Veronica Barisich facing prosecutor Tracy Hibbetts, and Alex Hubert and Tara Clark Newberry competing for District Court Department 21.

In other races, attorney Jennifer Isso is challenging incumbent Mary Perry for Department P, and former Clark County Family Court Judge Paul Michel Gaudet is challenging Judge Kerri Maxey for the Department N seat he lost to her in the 2024 election. Jessica Green and Allycia Murphy are set to face off for the Las Vegas Municipal Court Department 2 judgeship. More coverage is on our elections page.

What to watch next

• The Department 30 seat will be decided in the Nov. 3 election.
• District Judge Veronica Barisich faces prosecutor Tracy Hibbetts in the November election, according to the Review-Journal.
• Kristine Brewer will face Hearing Master Randall Forman in the general election, the Review-Journal reported.