LAS VEGAS -- The I-Team was the first to expose a judge who forced a jury to begin deliberations in a murder case at 3 a.m. because she was leaving for vacation. Now that same judge faces an investigation into her conduct by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline.
A Channel 8 viewer filed the complaint that has prompted the investigation of Judge Valorie Vega. In it, the viewer references information from our stories as the basis for the allegations.
Typically, the Commission on Judicial Discipline determines whether a complaint has merit before it proceeds with an investigation. Sources say that occurred in late June and now a commission investigator is scheduled to meet with potential witnesses in the next few weeks.
The I-Team first reported the judge's decision to force a jury to begin deliberations in the Victor Fakoya murder trial at 3 a.m. When defense attorney's objected, Judge Vega explained she was packing up and going on vacation for two weeks.
Following that trial, the I-Team tracked Vega's calendar through the following month and discovered, as she had during the Fakoya trial, she continued to cut her court calendar short to attend her daughter's soccer games.
A follow-up story included comments by the defense attorney's from the Fakoya case and prompted Judge Vega to recuse herself from future cases involving those attorneys. That decision remains in place today.
Should the commission find that Judge Vega violated any of her duties as a judge, she could face penalties that include additional training, a public apology, or under the most severe circumstances, removal from office.
As is the commission's usual practice, it declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. Judge Vega did not respond to a request for comment.
