Fiore files re-election bid for Pahrump justice of the peace
Michele Fiore is officially seeking reelection to her Pahrump justice of the peace seat.
According to the Nevada Secretary of State website on Tuesday, Fiore filed to run for the position in Nye County that she technically still holds, though she was found guilty of wire fraud in 2024 and was suspended from the bench.
The filing period for judicial candidates in Nevada ends Jan. 16.
In May, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline suspended Fiore with pay from her position as a Pahrump justice of the peace, about seven months after a federal jury found her guilty of conspiracy and wire fraud charges.
Fiore asked the Nevada Supreme Court to expedite her appeal to reverse the suspension in early December.
In a Dec. 22 order, the high court agreed to expedite resolution of the matter “to the extent that its docket permits” while also denying a pause in Fiore’s suspension.
Prosecutors accused Fiore, a former Las Vegas councilwoman and Republican assemblywoman, of defrauding donors of tens of thousands of dollars raised to build a statue of a slain Metropolitan Police Department officer by using the money on personal expenses, including rent, plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.
President Donald Trump later issued a full and unconditional pardon for Fiore that protected her from facing criminal sentencing.
Without an expedited review that reverses her suspension, the December filing argued that Fiore’s re-election campaign would be “clouded by misinformation” about her current suspended status, causing “imminent and irreparable harm” to her reelection odds, Fiore’s court filing said.
“Voters aware of Judge Fiore’s current suspension will likely presume she is ineligible and/or unfit for the bench. This would deprive the public of the opportunity to be able to fully evaluate an incumbent judge as well as undermine the fairness of the election from the outset,” the filing read.
In a statement posted on her Facebook page Wednesday, Fiore said she’s motivated to continue to serve.
“I am running because I believe in courage over convenience, principle over politics, and the right of the people, not institutions to choose their leaders,” Fiore said in the statement. “This campaign is about resilience, transparency, and trusting voters, not gatekeepers to decide our future. Progress has never come from silence or submission.”
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
