On Thursday, April 24, 2025, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline filed a complaint against District Court Judge Erika Ballou, accusing her of violating the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct. The complaint outlines six counts against Ballou, alleging that she defied the Nevada Supreme Court and demonstrated bias 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.
According to the complaint, Judge Ballou previously acknowledged her breach of judicial conduct through “inappropriate” posts on social media. The current allegations focus on her management of Christman’s criminal case, in which the complaint claims Ballou exhibited a consistent partiality favoring Christman over the State. This bias was said to be evident in her actions, omissions, and statements made during court proceedings.
Mia Christman was convicted in 2017 for robbery with a deadly weapon and for failing to stop when signaled by law enforcement. She was sentenced to two consecutive terms totaling up to 15 years, with the possibility of parole after five years. However, Judge Ballou released Christman from custody prior to the completion of her sentence. Following this, the Nevada Supreme Court overturned Ballou’s decision, remanding the case back to the District Court in August 2022 and instructing that proceedings should continue in accordance with their directive.
Despite the Supreme Court’s clear instructions, Judge Ballou did not re-incarcerate Christman and instead set another hearing to revisit the issue, which the complaint claims violates Nevada’s law-of-the-case doctrine. The state raised objections regarding Ballou’s decisions for several months, ultimately filing a writ of mandamus to compel her to rule in favor of the state and return Christman to custody. In October 2023, the Supreme Court granted this petition, yet the complaint states that Ballou failed to comply.
Moreover, Ballou continued to make rulings on Christman’s case even after the prosecution filed a motion to recuse her, which is against judicial protocol. On May 2, 2024, she approved a defense motion to vacate the remaining prison sentence ordered by the Supreme Court. The following day, the Supreme Court mandated that a different judge take over the case, leading to District Judge Eric Johnson reassuming the proceedings. Judge Johnson ultimately ruled in favor of the state, ordering Christman back to prison, and found that Ballou had violated Nevada law by issuing orders while her recusal was pending.
Elected in 2020 without conducting a visible campaign or fundraising, Judge Ballou faced significant backlash in 2022 when the Las Vegas Police Protective Association called for her resignation over remarks made in court regarding police officers. Specifically, Ballou allegedly suggested to a defendant that being a Black man in America meant he should avoid police presence.
In January 2024, further allegations emerged against Ballou regarding her social media activity, prompting a complaint to the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline. This included a controversial photo of her in a hot tub with two public defenders, accompanied by a caption deemed inappropriate, and another post that appeared to advocate for vacating hearings for defendants not in custody.
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.
