Meet Judge Bonaventure

For over 17 years, it has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your Justice of the Peace for the Las Vegas Township, District 9.

On November 2, 2004, I was elected to the bench to serve in the newly created Department 9 of the Las Vegas Justice Court. Ever since that day, I have worked tirelessly to honor the trust and confidence of the voters and to build a reputation of integrity, fairness, and efficiency.

I was re-elected in 2010 without opposition and honored to be re-elected overwhelmingly (with nearly 60 percent of the vote) in the primary election again in 2016.

I truly appreciate the seriousness of this responsibility, and will continue to treat each and every member of the community who comes before my court with dignity and respect.

As a native Las Vegan, I recognize the diversity, character, and uniqueness of our community. I was born, raised, educated, and employed entirely in Las Vegas, having graduated from Bishop Gorman High School, the business college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the charter class of the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV.

During my 17 years on the bench, a lot has changed across the Las Vegas valley.

During that time, I have presided over every type of case in Justice Court: extraditions, protection orders, coroner’s inquests, civil cases from summary evictions and small claims to jury trials, criminal cases from animal control violations and traffic tickets to murder charges, and high profile cases attracting national attention including the O.J. Simpson robbery preliminary hearing and the Paris Hilton possession of cocaine case. For the last two years, I presided over the Court’s most recent calendar, the Initial Appearance Court, which I was instrumental in creating. I currently preside over a dedicated criminal caseload.

Additionally, I served as Vice Chief Judge from 2011 through 2014 and Chief Judge from 2015 through 2018. I have previously presided over the Justice Court DUI Treatment Court Program and Community Court Program and have served as a member of the Judicial Council of the State of Nevada Committee to Study Evidence-Based Pretrial Release and as co-chair of the Clark County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. One of the things I have advocated for over the years and will continue to support is more court-ordered treatment programs to help veterans, substance abusers and addicts, and those suffering from mental health problems. My judicial experience has given me a very real appreciation of the impact our judiciary has on those who come before our courts—and their families. Behind every case is a living, breathing person whose life can be forever altered by the court’s decision. The public deserves a judge who the people can count on to be fair, impartial, knowledgeable, and independent. I believe my record demonstrates exactly that.

I come from a family of public servants, and I am proud of the accomplishments my family has made in Las Vegas. As a judge and candidate for re-election, I am prohibited from making many promises; however, one promise I can make is to always be accountable to you, the members of the public.

In order to be successful, I need your assistance in the upcoming election. Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss my campaign, and I hope to earn your support in the upcoming June 14th primary election.

Thank you for your consideration, your support, and your vote.

– Judge Joe Bonaventure