Our Someone 2 Know is deeply devoted to the rule of law. He has been fighting for justice - in everything from small cases to headline-grabbers for decades; first as a lawyer, and now as a judge.
The courtroom is where the honorable David Clifton loves to be...as a lawyer, he's worked on either side of the bench for 35 years; "...about eight of that has been as a judge and about 23 of that was as a D.A. in both Carson city and Reno, working for five different district attorneys,” explains Clifton.
The judge says he learned from some of the best ; "I started here in Reno with Ed Basil and Mills Lane - two different, almost opposite people."
Over the years Dave Clifton litigated more than two dozen high profile cases. One of the most recent was the deadly Mizpah Hotel fire in Reno.
That case got a lot of media attention locally... But the one that made national headlines was the Bergna murder trial in the early 2000's. As once wealthy art appraiser Peter Bergna stood accused of killing his wife in a staged accident off Mount Rose Highway.
Clifton remembers is all, like it was yesterday; "... you got families involved - and both care a lot about whether somebody gets convicted or not.”
Newspaper articles by the dozen, magazines, and even a book - all detail how then Chief Deputy District Attorney Clifton battled in the courtroom - and won the guilty verdict; "Very stressful, you know, national news on some of them, there's a lot at stake."
Today Judge Dave Clifton presides over Department Five of the Reno Justice Court - busy with everything from speeding tickets to civil cases, where he remains devoted to the interpretation of law; "It's enjoyable to argue and debate and litigate the issues in some of these cases."
Judge Clifton says he feels lucky and humbled to have been elected to his position, twice; "Taxpayers pay my salary, and I always remember that."
The judge says he hopes to serve another six year term if re-elected in 2022.
