District Judge John Davis said he wants to retain Mineral County in the 5th Judicial District and said a bill requesting it be split off in the upcoming state legislative session is an attempt to establish another judge in a new Churchill and Mineral County district.

"They're trying to get another district judgeship, and they figure the best way to do it is to add a little bit to their workload," Davis said.

The two counties have a combined three district judges. This is an attempt to have four, Davis said.

During the last election Nov. 4, Davis said he captured 72 percent of the vote in Mineral County, which he called a pretty substantial margin.

"My entire career has been up in this end of the woods. I think the people in Hawthorne align more politically with the people of Tonopah," Davis said. "I just feel an affinity for those people. I feel a loyalty for those people. I'd hate to see that evaporate, particularly after the election."

The 5th District works pretty well the way it's set up, Davis said, where he handles Mineral County and northern Nye County, while splitting part of 5th District Department 2 Judge Robert Lane's criminal caseload in Pahrump.

Davis has law and motion day once each month in Pahrump, while hearing low and motion day twice each month in both Tonopah and Hawthorne. During law and motion day, numerous items can be heard before the court, including arraignments, sentencing and status checks.

Davis said now that a temporary second district courtroom has been built in the Nye County Government Center in Pahrump, he may hold a second law and motion day here. But Sheriff Tony DeMeo said doesn't want prisoners in custody to be transported across the hall to that temporary courtroom.

Davis recalled an incident recently in Pahrump where the brother of murder victim Jeremy Brandon Frye jumped over the bench and attempted to throttle the defendant, confessed killer Branden Scott O'Connor, during a hearing to determine whether O'Connor should be sent to Lake's Crossing for a mental evaluation.

Davis said he hopes that in a few years, the economy will break out of the doldrums and growth will again occur in Pahrump.

That could create an argument for separating Pahrump as its own judicial district, he said, which would be more difficult to do if Mineral County were no longer part of the 5th Judicial District.