Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval's U-S
District Court commission has been signed by President Bush,
following an 89-to-zero Senate vote earlier this week confirming
his appointment to the federal bench.
A former state assemblyman, chairman of the Nevada Gaming
Commission and the first Hispanic elected statewide in Nevada,
Sandoval will assume a U-S District Court seat in Reno being
vacated by District Judge Howard McKibben. McKibben is going on
senior status.
Sandoval, a Republican, was elected attorney general in 2002. He
was recommended for the judicial post by Senator Harry Reid and
also was backed by Senator John Ensign.
Sandoval will be replaced as state attorney general by Las Vegas
lawyer George Chanos (CHAY'-nos), Guinn's choice. Chanos plans to
run for a full four-year term next year.