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Bill would extend Nevada confidentiality and assault protections to tribal judges and staff
Summary
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, supporters of AB150 told lawmakers tribal judges and judicial staff face threats and intimidation and asked the Legislature to extend existing state confidentiality and enhanced-penalty protections to tribal court personnel statewide.
Assemblymember David Orantletka presented Assembly Bill 150 to the Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee, asking lawmakers to add tribal judges and their judicial staff to the list of public officials eligible for confidentiality protections and for enhanced criminal penalties when they are threatened or assaulted.
The bill was introduced at a committee hearing in Carson City and heard by Chair Scheibel, with testimony from tribal judge Patricia Lehi, intern and bill presenter Angel Hood, and neutral testimony from Douglas County Recorder Shawnine Garen and other stakeholders.
AB150 would amend Nevada law to: add tribal judges and tribal judicial staff to statutes that make it a crime to threaten or intimidate judges; increase penalties for assaults on tribal judges and staff; allow tribal judicial staff’s home addresses and other personal information kept by the Secretary of State, county recorders, assessors and clerks to be kept confidential; and allow tribal judicial staff to request alternative addresses on driver’s licenses or identification cards.
Why it matters: supporters said tribal judges frequently travel off reservation to preside over cases, exposing them to the same threats and retaliation faced by state judges but without the same statutory protections. Tribal judges who live off-reservation told the panel that online campaigns, mailed anonymous letters and other harassment have followed them home and to neighboring communities.
Tribal judge Patricia Lehi described two incidents to the committee to explain the bill’s purpose. She said a 2014 hearing she presided over by telephone was the only reason she survived an attack in which the shooter at the hearing “pulled 2 loaded 9 millimeter handguns” and killed and wounded multiple people. She also described a later eviction case in which she said she became the target of an online and letter-writing campaign. “I called Douglas County to report this. I was told by Douglas County Deputies to report it to tribal police because it was tribal,” she told the panel.
Angel Hood, presenting the bill’s provisions, said: “AB150 aims to add tribal judges to the list of public officials protected,” and summarized the bill’s sections, including confidentiality of records and alternate driver's license addresses.
Committee members questioned how the bill would interact with tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction. Judge Lehi and staff explained that jurisdictional outcomes depend on federal Indian law and where conduct occurs, but they stressed that most tribal judges live off reservation and routinely travel on state and county roads, leaving gaps in protection. Committee counsel Wilkinson clarified that “the provisions all throughout NRS apply to judges state and local at every level, basically, throughout the state,” and witnesses said the bill would make protections follow a tribal judge wherever they travel in Nevada.
Douglas County Recorder Shawnine Garen testified in a neutral position about sections 4–6 that address record confidentiality, reminding members that last session’s Assembly Bill 225 created a process under which “any person not otherwise described” could seek confidentiality by substantiating a threat or showing their job creates similar threats; those orders currently expire in five years and petitioners must identify specific documents to be redacted. Garen said recorders and clerks stand ready to implement statutory confidentiality protections but highlighted operational details the offices must follow when records are redacted.
Supporters from tribal and prosecutorial groups voiced support. Alex Tanczyk of Silver State Government Relations said the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and other tribes support the measure. Jennifer Noble of the Nevada District Attorneys Association told the committee they support AB150.
No formal committee vote was recorded during the hearing; the committee took testimony and closed the hearing on AB150 after questions and public comment opportunities.
The bill will remain in committee; stakeholders and committee staff discussed statutory cross-references and operational details for sections that govern confidentiality and license alternatives.
Votes at the hearing: none recorded.
Ending: The committee closed the AB150 hearing and moved to other bills on its agenda.
