Sheriff Joe Lombardo Calls on Nevada Judge to Resign After ‘Anti-Police’ Comments

Sheriff Joe Lombardo, the Republican nominee for governor in Nevada, called on a Nevada judge to resign after making “anti-police” comments during a court hearing earlier this week. 

The Nevada Globe reported that Clark County District Judge Erika Ballou, a black woman, made anti-police remarks while addressing a black defendant during a court proceeding.

“You’re the one making the decisions not to walk away from cops,” Ballou told the defendant. “You’re a black man in America. You know you don’t want to be nowhere where cops are.”

Ballou went on to say that she does not want to be “nowhere where cops are.”

“You know you don’t want to be nowhere where cops are cause I know I don’t, and I’m a middle-aged, middle-class black woman,” Ballou continued. “I don’t want to be around where the cops are because I don’t know I’m going to walk away alive or not.”

Lombardo called for her resignation and called on Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) to demand her resignation. 

Lombardo said:

In a courtroom incident earlier this week, Judge Erika Ballou espoused anti-police rhetoric from the bench, immediately causing grave concern among members of the law enforcement community. Judge Ballou’s comments and courtroom conduct demonstrate bias against law enforcement and stand in complete opposition to a fair and independent judiciary. Today, I’m calling upon Judge Ballou to resign, and I’m also calling upon Governor Sisolak to demand Judge Ballou’s resignation.

Lombardo is not alone in his calls for the judge’s resignation. The Las Vegas Police Protective Association also called for Ballou’s resignation, calling her comments “a disgrace to the bench.”

Ballou, a former public defender and strong proponent of the Black Lives Matter organization, made news in September 2016 after a judge asked her to remove a BLM pin from her clothes.

“I believe a courtroom is the proper place to make issues about criminal justice. This is not political speech, it’s not supporting a particular candidate,” Ballou said.