Chief Judge Betsy Kolkoski

Department 2

Chief Judge Betsy Kolkoski was appointed to Las Vegas Municipal Court, Department 2 during the July 5, 2000 meeting of the Las Vegas City Council. In April of 2001, she was elected to a four-year term and was re-elected in 2005 to a six-year term. Chief Judge Betsy Kolkoski began serving as chief judge of the Las Vegas Municipal Court on July 1, 2009, and was the first woman judge to hold this position for the city of Las Vegas. As chief judge, she has vowed to promote justice and serve the interests of the people of Las Vegas.    

Judge Kolkoski presides over the city’s DUI Court Program which was launched in May 2006. This program utilizes alternative sentencing to work toward the goal of reducing DUI recidivism.       

Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Kolkoski served as an elder rights attorney for the Nevada Division for Aging Services for seven years. She was first appointed by then-Governor Bob Miller and reappointed by Governor Kenny Guinn. During her tenure, Judge Kolkoski worked closely with Nevada seniors to disseminate public information and propose legislation regarding elder abuse, guardianship, and other issues affecting older persons. 

She earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1971 from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and a bachelor of arts in economics from Waterloo Lutheran University in Ontario, Canada in 1968. Judge Kolkoski and her husband Richard have been married since 1974 and have two children--Claire and Kevin and one daughter-in-law Haylee.