Judge Tells Defendant She Wouldn’t Be Where Cops Are Because They Might Kill Her

For someone who is obviously highly educated and experienced enough to have earned a seat as a judge on the Clark County (NV) District Court, Judge Erika Ballou seems kind of dumb—oh, and kind of anti-justice—oh, and way anti-police.

During a court hearing for a defendant charged with, according to the Daily Mail, assaulting a police officer, the self-unaware jurist told the defendant, “You’re a black man in America. You know you don’t want to be nowhere where cops are cause I know I don’t, and I’m a middle-aged, middle-class black woman. I don’t want to be around where the cops are because I don’t know I’m going to walk away alive or not.”

Responding to the vicious anti-police comments, especially coming from the bench, Breitbart reported, “Sheriff Joe Lombardo, the Republican nominee for governor in Nevada, called on a Nevada judge to resign….”

Today, I’m calling upon Clark County District Court Judge Erika Ballou to resign, and I’m also calling upon Governor Sisolak to demand Judge Ballou’s resignation. Read my full statement below. pic.twitter.com/hV7fmuc5Ke

— Joe Lombardo (@JoeLombardoNV) July 15, 2022

The Las Vegas police union has also called on Ballou to resign, “calling her comments a ‘disgrace to the bench.’”

It’s hard to argue the former public defender’s comments are not a disgrace to the justice system she supposedly serves. And she hasn’t been reluctant in the past to wear her political ideology on her sleeve.

In 2016, public defender Ballou attracted news coverage for wearing a Black Lives Matter pin in court. The judge asked that she remove it because it violated decorum. But she doesn’t seem to understand the impropriety of her highly partisan public actions.

Whether ignorant, obtuse, or merely obstinate, Ballou told the judge, “I believe a courtroom is the proper place to make issues about criminal justice. This is not political speech; it’s not supporting a particular candidate.” Ballou also insulted police when she compared wearing a BLM pin to when officers shroud their badges with black bands to honor fallen officers.

Would Judge Ballou support a police officer wearing an NRA pin on his or her uniform in her courtroom? After all, he or she carries a gun for a living, so on duty seems the “proper place.” It’s not political speech; it’s not supporting a particular candidate.

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Steve Pomper

Steve Pomper is an author, freelance writer, and retired Seattle police officer. During his career, he served as a field training officer, on the Community Police Team, and as a mountain bike patrol coordinator. He’s written five books, including The Obama Gang and De-Policing America, and he is a contributor to the National Police Association and a freelance writer for The Tatum Report.

Originally from New England, he’s a Boston sports fan. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Jody, a retired firefighter. He enjoys spending time with his adult kids and three grandchildren.