On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline issued a prehearing order in the case involving District Court Judge Erika Ballou, addressing allegations of judicial misconduct in her handling of a criminal case involving Mia Christman.

The case is entitled “In the Matter of Judge Erika Ballou,” with case numbers 2024-103-P and 2024-105-P.

The case includes a formal complaint filed on April 24, 2025, accusing Judge Ballou of violating the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct through biased actions and failure to comply with legal directives.

The complaint details six counts against Ballou, primarily focusing on her management of Christman’s case. Christman was convicted in 2017 of robbery with a deadly weapon and evading law enforcement, receiving a sentence of up to 15 years with parole eligibility after five years. Ballou, however, released Christman before the sentence was completed, a decision overturned by the Nevada Supreme Court in August 2022. The Supreme Court ordered the case returned to the District Court for proceedings consistent with its ruling, but Ballou allegedly did not re-incarcerate Christman and instead scheduled additional hearings, actions the complaint claims violated Nevada’s law-of-the-case doctrine.

The state pursued a writ of mandamus to enforce compliance, which the Supreme Court granted in October 2023. Despite this, Ballou continued to issue rulings, including approving a defense motion on May 2, 2024, to vacate Christman’s remaining sentence, even after a recusal motion was filed against her. This prompted the Supreme Court to reassign the case to District Judge Eric Johnson on May 3, 2024. Johnson ruled in favor of the state, ordering Christman back to prison and determining that Ballou’s actions while recusal was pending violated Nevada law.

Ballou’s prior conduct has also drawn scrutiny. Elected in 2020 without a visible campaign, she faced criticism in 2022 from the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, which demanded her resignation after she allegedly made remarks in court advising a defendant, as a Black man, to avoid police.

Additionally, in January 2024, a separate complaint was filed with the Commission regarding Ballou’s social media activity, including a post showing her in a hot tub with two public defenders and another suggesting leniency for defendants not in custody, both deemed inappropriate.

The prehearing order outlines procedural requirements for the upcoming hearing. Parties must file pretrial motions at least 15 days prior and submit prehearing briefs 14 days before, including statements of facts, allegations, legal issues, witness lists, and exhibit details. Exhibit books, with Bates-numbered documents, must also be submitted electronically and in hardcopy to the Commission.

The case continues to unfold as the Commission prepares to address the allegations against Judge Ballou, with the hearing expected to clarify the extent of the claimed judicial misconduct.

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.