Incumbent, two hopefuls running for Las Vegas Municipal Court Dept. 1 judgeship

Two hopefuls and an incumbent are in the running for the Las Vegas Municipal Court Department 1 judgeship.

Incumbent Matt Walker, a longtime Las Vegas Municipal Court prosecutor, is set to face off against challengers Amanda Pellizzari and Rae Canady.

Walker has served on the bench since February 2025, after he was appointed by the City Council to serve out the term of retiring Judge Cynthia Leung.

The winner of the election will serve until 2028. Walker said he accepted the appointment with open arms because he believed a municipal court judge could help effect change.

“I oversee our Veterans Treatment Court and during my time, we’ve had more than 20 graduates from that program, which is something I’m proud of,” Walker said. “Veterans Treatment Court really is one of the best parts of my week, getting to help those who have served and have given so much. It’s important to help people before they get off track and end up in our court.”

As a former city prosecutor for more than 15 years, beginning in 2008, Walker, 44, said he has long been focused on public safety.

“What people don’t realize sometimes is the direct impact we have on the safety of the community,” Walker said. “Our municipal courts handle all the misdemeanors that happen within the city limits and often those are people who are in the midst of their first touch with law enforcement. They have not been through the system. I think it is important for voters to look at the histories and the philosophies of the people who are running to be on the bench to see what the qualifications are.”

In short, Walker said, he believes he has the public’s best interests in mind.

“You want someone who’s going to do the job correctly, which means they’re able to maintain impartiality and they’re able to maintain the appropriate judicial temperament so that they’re following the law,” he said.

From prosecutor to public defender

On the other side of the spectrum is Amanda Pellizzari, a product of UNLV’s Boyd School of Law and a longtime criminal lawyer.

About two years ago, Pellizzari said, she moved to Las Vegas Municipal Court to be a public attorney.

“It essentially means that I’m the contract public defender for a specific department, so a defendant who comes through that courtroom, I represent them,” said Pellizzari, 43. “For me, wanting to be municipal court judge is really based on me seeing what a difference the municipal court system can have in somebody’s life.”

Like Walker, Pellizzari said she believes there are opportunities on the municipal court side to be able to help steer a person away from potentially more serious crimes. Also like Walker, Pellizzari mentioned how important the veterans court is and that she’d like to expand its offerings.

“In the more serious cases I’ve handled over the years, sometimes you’re just mitigating a bad situation,” Pellizzari said. “Here, you get to try to address underlying issues, such as substance abuse, mental health, trauma and things like that. You can help address those underlying issues before it becomes a more serious situation.”

After Judge Leung announced her retirement, Pellizzari put her name in the hat to be her interim replacement, but Walker ultimately won out. This race is her chance to flip that script.

“I’ve been seeing that I have a lot of support, and I believe a lot of people in the community are behind me,” Pellizzari said. “I don’t think another candidate has my courtroom experience, and I also think my experience as a defense attorney gives me the perspective where I have a more concrete understanding and knowledge of the defendants that would be appearing in this court. I think I have more empathy and understanding.”

Candidate for change

The third candidate for the seat is Rae Canady, 50, a former public defender in Wisconsin who has more than two decades of experience as an attorney.

For the past two years, Canady has been working for Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, where, as she puts it, she helps give children a voice in court.

Before that, Canady worked as a Las Vegas Municipal Court administrator. She said she is running as a candidate of change in the race.

“I never aspired to be a judge until I started working at Las Vegas Municipal Court,” Canady said. “What I saw was the way that an apathetic judiciary can have negative effects on employee morale, on case outcomes and on community safety. I decided that court administration was the wrong role for me. I decided to run because I think I can help implement policies and change that will make our community better.”

She also said she’d like to help reduce certain surcharge fees for defendants. Canady said she wants voters to know that she views herself as a public servant, not a politician.

“I saw a need and I wanted to bring about some positive changes,” she said. “I’m stepping up to do that. I want to create a community-centered court that’s innovative, transparent and efficient. For example, it’s difficult to find information on our courts, and I want to change that. I intend to be very transparent with courtroom information.”

The primary election date is in June, andearly voting begins May 23.