Incumbent judge trails in Family Court race

Initial election results on Tuesday night showed that an incumbent in Family Court was trailing in a close race for Department N.

Family Court Judge Paul Gaudet had received 47.1 percent of the vote as of about 10 p.m., while attorney Kerri Maxey had about 52.9 percent.

About 567,000 votes in the race had been counted as of Tuesday night, according to data from the Nevada secretary of state’s website.

Gaudet, 58, was appointed to the bench in March 2023 by Gov. Joe Lombardo, following the death of Family Court Judge Mathew Harter. Gaudet previously had operated his own law firm focusing on family law, personal injury cases and a few commercial and criminal cases.

Maxey, 48, is a former Clark County public defender who has previously represented juvenile clients. She also spent three years as a staff attorney with the Minor Guardianship Advocacy Program at the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, and is currently working at the public defender’s office, now representing adult clients.

Gaudet was endorsed by several major law enforcement organizations and the Clark County Prosecutors Association, while Maxey’s endorsements included Service Employees International Union Local 1107, Culinary Local 226 and the Nevada chapter of the National Organization for Women.

Gaudet declined to comment on the race Tuesday night but noted that initial results showed he was only behind by just over 30,000 votes.

Maxey said she was not available to comment on Tuesday night.

Two other candidates in Family Court ran unopposed this election — incumbent judges Gregory Gordon in Department C and Gina McConnell in Department O.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.