 Justice James W. Hardesty was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. He has been married for 42 years to his wife, Sandy, who is a retired high school teacher. Together they have two children and five grandchildren.
Justice Hardesty attended the University of Nevada, Reno where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting in May 1970. While attending the University of Nevada, Reno, he was elected President of the Student Body and was named outstanding senior graduate. After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno, Justice Hardesty enrolled in the University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law where he obtained his J.D. in May 1975.
Upon graduating from McGeorge School of Law, Justice Hardesty returned to the Reno/Sparks area and entered private practice as a sole practitioner. He remained in private practice from 1975 through 1998. He received the highest rating of AV by Martindale-Hubbell, a nationally recognized publication of lawyer ratings.
In November 1998, Justice Hardesty was elected District Court Judge for the Second Judicial District Court of Washoe County, Reno, Nevada. He took the bench in January 1999 where he served through December 2004. In November 2001, while serving as a District Court Judge, he was elected by his fellow judges to serve as Chief Judge of the Second Judicial District Court, a position to which he was reelected in November 2003. He received the highest ratings on judicial performance in the Second Judicial District Court by the Washoe County Bar Association. Justice Hardesty also served as President of the Nevada District Judges Association in 2003.
In November 2004, Justice Hardesty was elected a Supreme Court Justice for the Nevada Supreme Court. He was sworn in on January 3, 2005. Justice Hardesty served as Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court in 2009.
Justice Hardesty has been a guest lecturer on numerous legal topics, including, case management, settlement, evidence, trial and appellate practice, and water law, for the National Judicial College, State Bar of Nevada, Professional Education Systems, Inc., the Association of Defense Counsel and the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association. In addition, he has presented annual lectures to the Media Law students at the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno.
As a District Court Judge and as a Nevada Supreme Court Justice, he has served on various Supreme Court Commissions including: the Nevada Supreme Court Task Force to create a Business Court in Nevada, the Nevada Supreme Court Task Force studying the Multi-Jurisdictional Practice of Law, the Nevada Supreme Court Commission on Judicial Funding, and the Nevada Supreme Court Committee to Implement Recommendations of the Jury Improvement Commission. Justice Hardesty currently co-chairs the Nevada Supreme Court Bench-Bar Committee, the Nevada Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, and the Commission on Statewide Juvenile Justice Reform. He has also chaired and is currently vice-chair of the Nevada Legislature's Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice. He is a member of the Nevada State-Federal Judicial Council and chaired the Council from 2009 thru May 2011.
From 1978 through 1991, Justice Hardesty coached Bobby Sox Softball teams that included his daughters. In 1991, his team won the National Fast Pitch Championship. In 1985, he served as President of the University of Nevada, Reno Alumni Association. Justice Hardesty has also been active with the Foster Grandparents Program, served on the Nevada State Board of Education, and is Past President of the Rotary Club of Sparks.
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Last Updated on Monday, 20 May 2013 09:03 |
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