Matthew Harter Obituary, Death – On Wednesday, a judge who had served on the Clark County Family Court bench for the previous 14 years passed away. According to the county coroner’s office, Judge Mathew Harter, who oversaw Family Court Department N, died unexpectedly on Wednesday just after 11 a.m. at University Medical Center. Judge Harter was hospitalized for a medical condition. The head of the entire division was Judge Harter. He was 56. According to the coroner’s office, the investigation into Harter’s official cause of death and manner of passing is still underway.
In a statement that was released on Wednesday night by lawyer Steve Dixon, members of Harter’s family pleaded with anyone who is “struggling with mental health challenges to please seek emergency assistance from loved ones and trained specialists.” Steve Dixon, the family’s lawyer, released the statement. Harter committed suicide and passed away in 2016. Dixon further stated that Harter’s spouse successfully petitioned to have the suicide prevention hotline number included in articles about her husband’s passing.
Other news sources covered Harter’s passing. After being elected to the bench for the first time in 2008, Harter went on to be elected again in 2014 and ran unchallenged for reelection in 2020. He did not have any challengers when he stood for reelection in 2020. In addition, between 2004 and 2008, he served as an arbitrator in District Court. He attempted to dislodge Lidia Stiglich from her position on the Nevada Supreme Court in 2018 by running against her; however, his candidacy ultimately failed.
Harter said that he adopted a “conservative” approach to the law and that he would base his judgments on the actual meaning of the legislation while he was competing for a position on the Supreme Court. His campaign included this. Harter stated that he has always wanted to contribute to his home state’s judicial system in some capacity in the voter guide that the Las Vegas Review-Journal published in 2018. Louis Schneider, a family court lawyer who had known Harter for 16 years, expressed his utter shock upon receiving the news of his close friend’s passing.
One of Schneider’s closest pals was Harter. He predicted that “there will be a lot of hurt folks as a result of this,” and his prediction came true. Although Harter was born in Reno, he has regarded Las Vegas as his permanent home ever since he was a little child. This information is based on the biography that can be found on the District Court website. He left behind a wife, eight children, and one grandson at the time of his death.
According to the Review-2018 Journal’s voter guide, Harter graduated from Bonanza High School in 1984, went to UNLV for his undergraduate studies, and later got a law degree from Western Michigan University in 1994. Judge Harter received a 71% retention rating from the Review-2013 Journal’s Judicial Performance Evaluation. However, that score had dropped to 48% at the time of the 2019 review, indicating that the majority of lawyers who responded to the evaluation believed he should not be retained.