Attorney Kristine Brewer, who came in first in the June primary race for Clark County Family Court Department S, was not appointed to the vacant seat by the Nevada Judicial Selection Commission. The commission announced in late July it was declining her application, making her the sole applicant considered for the position. This decision leaves the seat open for voters to decide in the upcoming November election.
The vacancy arose a month after Brewer's primary win when Judge Vincent Ochoa announced his early retirement from Department S. The Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection stated on its website in July that “Following its consideration of the applicant, the Commission declined to forward the candidate to Governor Joe Lombardo for appointment.” The reason for the panel's decision to decline Brewer’s application remains unknown.
This action is considered unusual because the governor typically appoints candidates to the bench who are concurrently on the ballot. As an example, Governor Lombardo appointed Tina Talim to the bench in June 2024, and she was subsequently elected to the post in November. While the Nevada Constitution mandates that the governor fill a judicial vacancy within 30 days of receiving recommendations from the commission, the commission itself is not obligated to submit recommendations if it determines there are no suitable applicants.
Brewer has not responded to questions regarding the commission's decision since the primary election. Her campaign consultant, Steve Sanson of Veterans in Politics, also did not respond to requests for comment.
Federal bankruptcy court records indicate that Brewer and her husband, Robert Blau, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in November of 2025. These records cited assets ranging from $50,000 to $100,000, and liabilities between $100,000 and $500,000.
Forman, who will face Brewer in the November election, considered applying for the interim appointment but ultimately chose not to. He explained that accepting the appointment, only to potentially lose the election, would mean reapplying for his existing role as a hearing master. He stated, “That’s a pretty big risk to me. I like having a job, so I decided not to put in for that appointment.”
Department S of the Clark County Family Court handles cases related to divorce and child custody.
Forman, a graduate of UNLV’s Boyd Law School, has spent five years as a hearing master, where he presides over juvenile delinquency cases and issues domestic violence protective orders. Prior to this, he was in private practice for 15 years. This marks Forman’s second attempt to secure a judicial seat, having previously lost in the primary race for Department Z in 2020. He has received endorsements from several labor organizations, including Culinary Local 226, SEIU Nevada, the Southern Nevada Building Trades Union, and Laborers Local 870. As of July, Forman had raised just under $19,000 for his campaign and reported $5,000 in the bank.
Brewer obtained her law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. She is currently employed by Leavitt Family Law Group and states she has practiced almost exclusively in family law since 2004. This is Brewer’s third bid for Family Court, following losses in the 2014 primary and a 2022 special election. In addition to her unsuccessful application for the 2026 appointment, she also applied unsuccessfully for appointment in 2023.
Her campaign website lists endorsements from several individuals, including Nevada System of Higher Education Regent Patrick Boylan, who is known for making anti-transgender remarks. According to Our Nevada Judges, a website that tracks judicial candidates, Brewer is also endorsed by Veterans in Politics, which is managed by her campaign consultant, Steve Sanson. As of July, Brewer’s campaign had raised approximately $19,000, which included a personal loan of $11,000, and had spent $24,000.
