A former Winchester resident was recently elected as a judge to the Las Vegas, Nevada Township Justice Court.
Jessica Goodey, a 2003 graduate of Winchester High School, won election this past November to Department 6 on the Justice Court in a four-way election for the open seat after the incumbent decided not to run for retention. Goodey was able to defeat Judge William Gonzalez by about 270 votes. Gonzalez had served in Las Vegas’ Family Court from 2009 to 2014.
Goodey earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana in 2007 and then attended law school at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law, where she received her law degree in 2010. Shortly after, she became a personal injury lawyer with her own practice in Las Vegas. Goodey told the Nevada Current that she decided to run for the bench in Dept. 6 because of delays in getting cases resolved. Her election website says it takes on average 3 ½ years for a case to reach trial in the justice court.
Goodey told the Scott County Times that she has fond memories of her time in Winchester, when her family moved there in 5th grade. She told the Times that she got some idea of going to law school while she was Student Council president at Winchester.
Goodey currently lives in Summerlin, Nevada with her husband and teenage son.