On Thursday, March 26, 2026, 8 News Now reported that a Las Vegas judge will remain suspended without pay through the end of her term after failing to meet disciplinary requirements imposed by state authorities.
Clark County District Court Judge Erika Ballou, who was suspended for 18 months in September 2025 by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline, will not be reinstated because she did not complete a mandated remedial training program within the required timeframe. The commission confirmed that Ballou neither began nor finished the specialized training within six months of the order, a condition necessary for her return to the bench.
As a result, the commission ruled that Ballou will continue her suspension without pay until her current term expires at the end of 2026. She is not seeking reelection.
The disciplinary action stems from findings that Ballou violated the judicial code of conduct in a criminal case involving defendant Mia Christman, 31. According to commission documents, Ballou failed to send Christman to prison despite a Nevada Supreme Court order reversing her earlier decision that allowed the defendant’s release.
In addition, Ballou did not enter judgment in favor of prosecutors after the state’s position was upheld by the Supreme Court. The commission also found that she failed to follow legal procedures by not addressing motions filed by prosecutors and by declining to disqualify herself from the case when required.
Christman had been indicted by a grand jury in 2013 for a violent crime spree committed when she was 18 years old.
Ballou, elected in 2020 to a six-year term, has remained off the bench since her suspension was issued. Meanwhile, prosecutor Colleen Brown is running unopposed to fill the judicial seat in the upcoming election.
Source: 8 News Now
