Clark County District Court Judge Jennifer Schwartz is seeking reelection for Department 17, facing a challenge from prosecutor Jacob Villani. The contest marks Schwartz’s bid for a second term on the bench. Early voting for the election is scheduled to commence on Saturday, October 17.
Judge Schwartz, a lifelong Las Vegan and a graduate of UNLV’s Boyd School of Law, began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Michael Cherry. Her experience also includes time as a public defender and work for a law firm, where she gained civil practice experience. She currently presides over a split docket, handling both civil and criminal cases. Schwartz has noted that she found it necessary to study to become proficient in civil law after a period away from the field.
Attorneys evaluating Schwartz in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Judging the Judges 2025 assessment showed strong support for her retention, with 75.5% of 177 responding attorneys indicating she should be retained. Regarding her judicial philosophy, Schwartz stated, “I view it as I am the neutral arbitrator,” emphasizing her role in appreciating entire cases from all perspectives. She also noted that listening to victims’ experiences has been impactful, helping her shift from an advocacy mindset.
Addressing challenges with self-represented litigants, Schwartz explained her approach to clarify legal proceedings. She stated that she tries to explain what is happening in layman’s terms rather than legal speak. When pro se litigants fail to file a timely response to a motion, Schwartz indicated she keeps the matter on the calendar, allowing them an opportunity to orally state their case if they appear.
Records from Our Nevada Judges show that Schwartz’s criminal case rulings were found to be in error in seven of 36 appeals. In contrast, she has been appealed in three civil cases and was upheld in all. Schwartz commented on the appeals, stating that her civil appeal rate is incredibly low. She further noted that in criminal cases, a guilty verdict often automatically leads to an appeal.
Judge Schwartz’s campaign has garnered significant endorsements, including more than a dozen law enforcement associations, the Nevada Veterans Association, the Asian American Group, Professional Firefighters of Nevada, the Southern Nevada Building Trades Union, SEIU Nevada, Culinary Local 226, Teamsters Nevada, Independent Black Voters, and the National Organization for Women (NOW). Her campaign expense report listed a $600 payment to Veterans in Politics International for consulting. However, Steve Sanson of VIPI clarified that his company is not a consultant to Schwartz, stating that the judge purchased advertising from VIP and incorrectly recorded it. Sanson emphasized that buying advertising does not guarantee an endorsement from the group. Schwartz did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding this discrepancy. As of July, Schwartz had raised $274,000 and maintained approximately $210,000 in her campaign bank account.
Jacob Villani, also a graduate of Boyd School of Law, is a prosecutor. He is not related to former Judge Michael Villani. This election marks Villani's second attempt to secure a judicial seat, having previously lost the race for Department 1 in 2020 to Bita Yeager by double-digit margins. Villani did not respond to requests for an interview and currently has no public campaign website. As of July, he had received no campaign contributions, and it remains unknown if he has any endorsements.
