Tonopah justice named judge of the year

Tonopah Judge Jennifer Klapper is this year’s recipient of the Nevada Judges of Limited Jurisdiction’s “Judge of the Year” award.

“This judge gained a great deal of experience over the years in all facets of court operations,” said Judge Natalie Tyrrell of the North Las Vegas Township Justice Court, who announced Klapper’s honor at a ceremony earlier this month.

She started her career with the courts in the late 1990s as a part-time clerk. In 2012, after receiving encouragement from peers, Klapper decided to run for justice of the peace.

“Of course, the voters had great confidence in this person and this judge won their first election,” Tyrrell said.

In addition to serving as a judge, Klapper was appointed to serve as the Juvenile/DCFS Hearing Master for Nye County.

During her tenure on the bench, Klapper has served on the Board of Governors for the American Judges Association. Within that association, she serves on the education and diversity committees.

“If that wasn’t enough, this judge is also a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. This judge is so well-respected in that organization that this judge was invited to Washington, D.C. in 2023 to participate in Days on the Hill. This judge met with members of Congress to discuss the importance of well-trained judges and ways that Congress can help to improve the lives of children in the juvenile justice system.”

Klapper serves on the Board of Directors of the Nevada Judges of Limited Jurisdiction and has hosted the NJLJ Summer Seminar twice— most recently last summer in Tonopah.

“As anyone who attended can attest, nobody hosts a seminar like this judge. Her thoughtfulness and attention to detail was incredible. I think that the whole town was involved in one way or another with the seminar,” said Tyrrell. “The point is that she is always very generous with her time to so many organizations and causes. And that is why she was unanimously selected as this year’s recipient.”