Meet Judge Luis
Kristin was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She attended local schools and graduated from Reno High School. Thereafter, she attended the University of Nevada, Reno on a diving scholarship. She graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Economics. Kristin obtained her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1994, graduating with distinction (cum laude). After law school, she was hired by Judge Mills Lane as a law clerk. After her clerkship, Kristin worked in private practice and took on cases in criminal defense, family law and civil litigation.
In January 2000, Kristin was hired as a deputy by the Carson City District Attorney’s Office. She rose through the ranks to a senior position, prosecuting all types of cases, from minor traffic violations to serious felony charges. She regularly advised law enforcement agencies regarding best practices and changes in the law and was part of an on-call rotation to address after-hours search warrants and other legal issues. Kristin also gained experience as a civil deputy, reviewing and revising contracts and representing various Carson City boards and commissions.
After ten years in the Carson City District Attorney’s office, Kristin was appointed to serve as the Juvenile Special Master by Carson City District Court Judges James T. Russell and James E. Wilson. In that position she made important decisions, on a daily basis, overseeing juvenile delinquency and child welfare cases. She regularly worked with Juvenile Services, the Division of Child and Family Services, CASA, various community counseling programs, and treatment providers to address the needs of juveniles and their families. She presided over juvenile and family dependency drug court programs and witnessed first-hand the positive changes that result from timely and appropriate interventions. Kristin’s experience in the juvenile system has forever shaped her view. She recognizes the value of each decision and the need to make a difference wherever she can.
In January 2014, Kristin was recruited back to the Carson City District Attorney’s Office to serve as the Assistant District Attorney, leading the Criminal Division and overseeing the work of the Juvenile Division. In this role, she has been involved in the prosecution of a number of high profile cases. Notably, she says some of her most important work in this position has been the prosecution of six defendants in the murder of Grant Watkins, the prosecution of Eric Buhl for the murder of a 2 year old toddler, the prosecution of Patrick Williams for distribution of child pornography, and the prosecution of John Aston who threatened Justice of the Peace, John Tatro.
In January 2019, Kristin was sworn in as a Justice of the Peace in Department 2 in Carson City. There she heard and decided misdemeanor criminal cases, bail hearings, preliminary hearings in gross misdemeanor and felony cases, heard and decided small claims civil actions, and applications for protection orders. In late 2023, Judge Wilson, who presided in the First Judicial District Court Department 2 announced his retirement effective January 8, 2023. Kristin applied for his position and was one of the candidates selected by the Judicial Selection Committee whose application was to be reviewed by the governor. Governor Lombardo selected Kristin as the next District Judge on December 15, 2023 and she was sworn in on January 9, 2024. Since then, she has been serving as the District Judge in Department 2 since that time.
Kristin is invested in this community and she has been a dedicated public servant for almost two decades. She serves as the president for the First Judicial District Bar Association.
She lives in Carson City with her husband Jason. They met when Jason, a former Lyon County Sheriff’s deputy, was seeking assistance with a search warrant from the Carson City DA’s Office and Kristin was the attorney who was on-call to assist. The rest is history and have been raising two daughters together, Faith (19) and Abby (15). Abby is a sophomore at Carson High School and Faith is a sophomore at the University of Nevada Reno.
In addition to her public service work in the legal field, Kristin also gives back to our community. She is on the board of the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada. She is a member of Soroptimists International, a volunteer organization that is focused on lifting up women and girls who have faced challenges in life and promote education and career advancement.