Melissa Saragosa-Stratton

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Practice Highlights:

Melissa Saragosa-Stratton is a former Las Vegas Justice Court Judge having served as a member of the judiciary for nearly 18 years and retiring July 2024. During that time, she developed an expertise in summary evictions and unlawful detainer actions. She is also a retired Air Force Assistant Judge Advocate General having served over thirty years.  She retired April 2024 in the rank of Colonel.

Judge Saragosa-Stratton’s judicial career began in 2007 after she was appointed by the Board of Clark County Commissioners and, in 2021, served as Chief Judge. She presided over both civil and criminal dockets, including summary evictions, unlawful detainer actions, civil bench and jury trials, criminal hearings and trials, and temporary protective orders.  Judge Saragosa-Stratton also presided over the Veterans Treatment Court for six years. As a trial judge in one of the busiest limited jurisdiction courts in the nation, she has managed the assignment of over 100,000 criminal and civil cases. She has presided over 9 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials. Judge Saragosa-Stratton was elected Chief Judge of the Las Vegas Justice Court in 2021.  In this role, she oversaw the administration of the court’s 65 million dollar budget and over 300 employees and gained extensive experience in administrative, government, labor/public employee, collective bargaining, and legislative issues in the state of Nevada.

As the Chair of the Las Vegas Justice Court’s Legislative Committee and member of the Nevada Judges of Limited Jurisdiction’s Legislative Committee, she has testified before the Nevada Legislature on landlord-tenant issues at nearly every legislative session over the past decade. Most notably, she drafted and petitioned to enact laws allowing property owners to remove squatters from their property without a long formal civil process. She has trained judges across the State in handling summary evictions, unlawful detainer actions, post-foreclosure evictions, and manufactured housing unlawful detainer actions. She offers uniquely specialized knowledge in all matters related to both residential and commercial landlord-tenant issues.

Prior to her work on the bench, she was a Chief Deputy District Attorney in Clark County where she had the opportunity to gain significant litigation experience appearing in court daily for law and motion calendars, hearings, and numerous felony jury trials.  As an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, Judge Saragosa-Stratton served two tours as a Circuit Trial Counsel prosecuting courts-martial. Overall, she has litigated over 50 jury trials, hundreds of bench trials, and countless administrative hearings.

In addition to litigation, Judge Saragosa-Stratton’s Air Force career has provided her a unique and diverse legal experience. As the Senior Individual Mobilization Assistant to the Command Counsel for Air Force Materiel Command, she managed 65 individual reserve judge advocates and provided legal advice to commanders on several internal investigations involving high-ranking officials. As the Senior Individual Mobilization Assistant to the Director of the Air Force Judiciary, she routinely advised the Secretary of the Air Force, Secretary of Defense, and members of Congress on matters involving military justice.  She assisted in lobbying efforts for changes to the Manual for Courts-Martial and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. While assigned to the legal offices at Air Force Global Strike Command and Eighth Air Force, she created the process of obtaining Secretary of the Air Force approval under the Intergovernment Personnel Act for nuclear scientists from the Department of Energy to temporarily work in an exchange assignment for the nuclear weapons program in the Air Force. She also advised general officers on the implications of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling in the Republic of Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China on the Air Force’s freedom of overflight in the South China Sea. Finally, she was selected by The Judge Advocate General of the Air Force to serve as an appellate judge with the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals where she served for five years.

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Community:

Judge Saragosa-Stratton is a 2008 graduate of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Las Vegas Program.  She is a member of the Women Veterans of Nevada. She has previously served as a Cub Scout leader, assisted youth baseball programs and served on the board of directors for SafeHouse from 2011 – 2012. In December 2020, she was elected as Co-Chairperson of the Clark County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and was re-elected for a second term in December 2021. In addition, as a member of the state judiciary, she was appointed to several Supreme Court commissions/committees and volunteered for numerous others.

Appointment to Supreme Court Committees:

• Commission to Study Best Practices for Virtual Advocacy – 2021-2023
• Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics – 2015-2023
• Committee to Study Evidence-Based Pretrial Release – 2015-2021

Service with Nevada Judges of Limited Jurisdiction:

• Secretary – 2021
• Board Member – 2019-2020
• Legislative Committee – 2009-2023
• Education Committee – 2009-2023

Service with Las Vegas Justice Court:

• Chief Judge – 2021-2022
• Chairperson of the Legislative Committee – 2009-2022
• Chairperson of the Civil Committee – 2017-2023
• Rules Committee – 2010-2022
• Presiding Civil Judge – 2015-2020
• Vice Chief Judge – 2009-2010

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Accomplishments:

• Armed Forces Legion of Merit Medal – 2023
• Judge of the Year by Nevada Judges of Limited Jurisdiction – 2019
• Most Outstanding Reserve Judge Advocate, United States Air Forces in Europe – 1999
• Meritorious Service Medal (with five oak leaf clusters) – 1999-2021

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Education:

J.D. University of San Diego School of Law, College of Law, San Diego, CA, 1993
B.A. University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, 1990
Air War College, 2013
Air Command and Staff College, 2008
Squadron Officer’s School, 1998
Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course, 1994

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Bar Admission:

Nevada 2000

California 1998

Maryland 1994

Arizona 1993

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Court Admission:

United States Supreme Court 2014

United States District Court, District of Nevada 2000

Nevada Supreme Court 2000

California Supreme Court 1998

Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (Formerly Court of Military Appeals) 1994

Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals (Formerly Air Force Court of Military Review) 1994

Court of Appeals of Maryland 1994

Arizona Supreme Court 1993