On Monday, September 22, 2025, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline suspended Erika Ballou, a District Court Judge for the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, from her judicial office without salary. The suspension is for a period of eighteen months, with twelve months of that sanction suspended, and Judge Ballou has been placed on probation for two years.

This disciplinary action follows the Commission’s findings that Judge Ballou committed willful misconduct by knowingly violating the Revised Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct in cases involving Mia Christman. The charges stem from two cases, docketed as Case Nos. 2024-103-P and 2024-105-P. A formal statement of charges (FSOC) was filed against Judge Ballou on April 24, 2025, alleging violations of the Code. Judge Ballou filed her answer to the charges on May 14, 2025.

The Commission’s investigation and subsequent public hearing on August 7, 2025, addressed six counts of alleged judicial misconduct. The Commission found sufficient evidence to support three of these counts. Specifically, Counts I, II, and III were proven by clear and convincing evidence. Counts IV, V, and VI were not proven.

Count I pertains to Judge Ballou’s failure to enter judgment in favor of the State and remand Mia Christman into custody after the Nevada Supreme Court reversed Judge Ballou’s ruling on Christman’s Petition on August 11, 2022. The Commission found Judge Ballou’s reasoning for delaying the judgment unpersuasive, given her prior experience as a criminal defense attorney.

Count II concerns Judge Ballou’s continued failure to enter judgment in favor of the State and remand Christman into custody after the Supreme Court granted the State’s Petition on October 12, 2023. The Commission rejected Judge Ballou’s argument that the Supreme Court’s order lacked a specific deadline, citing Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 34.190(2) and (3), which contemplate immediate action after receiving a peremptory writ.

Count III involves Judge Ballou’s failure to halt proceedings after the State filed motions to recuse or disqualify her from the Christman matters. The Commission found that Judge Ballou should have paused the case once the motion to disqualify was filed, regardless of whether she was properly served with the State’s affidavit.

As part of her probation, Judge Ballou is required to complete a specialized remedial training program with the National Judicial College (NJC) before returning to the bench. This training program will be customized to address her misconduct and Code violations. She is also required to cooperate fully with the NJC in completing the training program in a timely manner. Additionally, Judge Ballou must have no further violations of the law or the Code of Judicial Conduct while on probation. Her suspension without salary will commence on September 23, 2025.

Judge Ballou’s courtroom is located at the Regional Justice Center, 200 Lewis Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89155, and can be reached at (702) 671-0591.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.