Opinion ID: 2590410
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Elected judges

Text: McConnell contends that the district court erred in rejecting his ineffective-assistance claim based on appellate counsel's failure to argue that it was prejudicial to have elected judges and justices preside over his trial and appellate review because elected judges are beholden to the electorate and therefore cannot be impartial. We conclude that this claim fails for two reasons. First, McConnell failed to substantiate this claim with any specific factual allegations demonstrating actual judicial bias. Second, we conclude that his argument is unpersuasive and would not have had a reasonable probability of success on appeal. See Nevius v. Warden, 113 Nev. 1085, 1086-87, 944 P.2d 858, 859 (1997) (denying disqualification of supreme court justice where justice commented during election campaign that he favored death penalty in appropriate cases and had voted to uphold death penalty 76 times). Because this omitted issue had no reasonable probability of success on appeal, McConnell cannot demonstrate that appellate counsel provided ineffective assistance in this respect. The district court therefore did not err in rejecting this ineffective-assistance claim without conducting an evidentiary hearing.