Del Vecchio's days as a judge numbered

MAYBE ELLEN BEZIAN SHOULD SEND A MUSHY VALENTINE to Judge Nick Del Vecchio. After all, the judge planted a big wet kiss, euphemistically speaking, on Bezian and two other political challengers, though he probably didn't mean to do it.

The kiss arrived in the form of a complaint filed against Del Vecchio by the Judicial Discipline Commission. The highly detailed, highly salacious complaint alleges that the judge is quite a ladies' man. Girls, too. A lengthy investigation uncovered an alleged pattern of sexual misconduct on the part of his honor, lots of hide-the-gavel type stuff, including allegations that he's been molesting his stepdaughter since she was 14. The commission believes Del Vecchio forced the girl to perform certain oral acts on him, then later hired her to work in his court so she'd be around whenever he felt frisky. From the sound of the complaints raised by other female employees, "Frisky" should be his middle name.

We have no idea why the allegations took so long to surface, or why the stepdaughter would willingly accept a job with the judge after what he supposedly forced her to do, both legitimate questions which deserve to be answered, but given the serious nature of the disciplinary charges, it seems all but certain that Del Vecchio will have to step down from his position in Family Court, at least temporarily. There's no way he could possibly preside over divorce and custody battles with something like this hanging over his head.

Lawyer Ellen Bezian had no idea Del Vecchio was under investigation when she filed to run against him a few weeks ago. She's since heard courthouse scuttlebutt that a female clerk had filed a complaint against the judge for playing grab-ass at the workplace, but Bezian was as shocked as everyone else when she heard the details. She decided to challenge Del Vecchio for other reasons, mostly because he had failed to distinguish himself on the bench, but knows the sexual allegations have completely changed the dynamics of the race.

If her name sounds somewhat familiar, it's probably because of the work Bezian has done for Jessica Williams, the young dancer who killed six teenagers on Interstate 15 nearly eight years ago. The lead defense attorney for Williams is John Watkins, a legal bulldog regarded as the best DUI lawyer in Southern Nevada. In the courtroom, Watkins is about as subtle as a snarling wolverine. He fought ferociously for Williams at a time when many in the community felt she should be lynched. Bezian is no shrinking violet either, but in this case, she's helped present a softer, more human side to the Williams defense. And for the past eight years, she has been Jessica's main connection to the outside world, working to boost the suicidal Williams' spirits during the darkest days.

Together, Watkins and Bezian have fought to the state Supreme Court, to the United States Supreme Court, and to federal district court on Williams' behalf. They've done nearly all of the work on their own dime and vow that they will never stop working to free Jessica.

The question for voters will be: Is Bezian's passionate defense of Jessica Williams a plus or a minus? Six teenagers died. Williams admits she had smoked marijuana the night before the incident. Plus, hell, Jessica was working as an exotic dancer at the time. By cracky, here in law-and-order, string-'em-up, throw-away-the-key Nevada, we don't cotton to no strippers who smoke wacky weed and then fall asleep at the wheel. Those anti-DUI crusaders who make a comfortable living by appearing on TV to campaign for ever-tougher penalties for anyone who gets out of line will go into conniption fits if Bezian gets elected, even though she isn't likely to preside over DUI cases as a Family Court judge.

But what about the rest of us? The jury in the original trial ruled that Jessica was not impaired at the time of the accident. She wasn't high. Rather, she fell asleep, and when she woke up, the horrible images of bodies bouncing off her windshield became permanently etched in her memory. But a crappy state law gave the jury no choice. Because Williams had a miniscule amount of pot in her system, an amount so small it was measured in nanograms, she had to be convicted. She wasn't impaired, the jurors said, but they had no choice but to convict her. Oh, the fact that the state never refrigerated her blood sample after running its own tests was deemed irrelevant. Also declared inadmissible were any arguments about why the county ordered those kids to be out on I-15 in the first place, picking up trash because no one has the guts to force the garbage company to cover its damned trucks. Nope, couldn't talk about that.

Williams has been behind bars for almost eight years. She's been told she shouldn't even bother to apply for parole. She's looking at another 15 years behind bars, minimum, for falling asleep because she sure as hell wasn't DUI.

I'd like to think that compassion would be a quality we would want to see in our judges, especially in Family Court. I would also hope we would prefer jurists who care about the letter of the law, have a passion for the law and aren't afraid to speak up when the law is simply wrong, as it is in Williams' case. Maybe Bezian's decision to give so much of her life to defending a client who was so widely despised as Williams -- at least, in the beginning -- will backfire. Maybe some voters will hold it against her. Bezian represents clients in Family Court every day. She probably represents more men than women, so her opponents won't be able to label her as some sort of man-hater. She has a salty personality and sometimes speaks too candidly for her own good. Now that Del Vecchio has given her an opening, Bezian knows that voters might make their decision based on how they feel about Jessica Williams. She's ready for that.

Other stuff

Friends of political guru Kent Oram are holding their breath and hoping for the best now that Oram has been hospitalized for serious but undisclosed problems. Oram is a legend in local politics and has won more big races than anyone, including a few governorships and sheriff's contests. He's been in the intensive care unit for several days now but is reportedly showing some signs of improvement. The word is, he's developed something of a popsicle "jones" during his recovery, but he's a tough guy. He can kick it. ... The one and only Lem Banker, the most successful sports gambler in Las Vegas history, is also on the mend after undergoing open heart surgery. Banker was hospitalized last week after complaining he didn't feel well. Doctors put him on the operating table immediately. Lem is probably relieved that they waited to operate until the week after the NFL season ended, but he probably is on the phone at this moment, laying money on an NBA contest or two. His legions of friends wish him a speedy recovery. ... Say, has anyone heard anything about other political aspirations for retiring Supreme Court Justice Bill Maupin? There's a story floating around that Maupin might have an interest in running for governor. Quick, check with Guy Rocha to see if a justice has ever become governor. That would be quite a move.

George Knapp is a veteran investigative reporter for KLAS-TV Channel 8. You can reach him at gknapp@klastv.com.