Biography

Judge Walker was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to serve as the presiding judge in Department 2 of the Second Judicial District Court of the State of Nevada on March 10, 2011. He was elected to serve the remainder of Judge Hardy's term in 2012, and was elected for a six year term again in 2014. He was then appointed by Governor Sandoval on December 22, 2017 to Department 7 to fill a vacancy left by the untimely death of Chief Judge Flanagan. He ran un-opposed for retention of that position in January of 2018.

By those appointments and elections, Judge Walker has had the unique privilege of working "both sides of the court" in the Family Division and the General Jurisdiction Division in Washoe County. Across divisions he has been responsible for adult and minor guardianships, child dependency, child delinquency, Project ONE, child support, specialty drug courts, divorce and custody, and adult criminal and civil caseloads.

Judge Walker is a Co-Chair of the Nevada Juvenile Justice Oversight Commission and a Co-Chair of the Nevada Guardianship Commission. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Judge Walker is a frequent lecturer on judicial issues and education at the state and national level.

Prior to working as a judicial officer, Judge Walker worked in both private practice and as a Deputy District Attorney in Carson City and Washoe County. As a Deputy District Attorney, he prosecuted all varieties of crimes, including nine first degree murder trials and more than twenty trials involving allegations of sexual misconduct and/or child abuse. He was a member of the Washoe County District Attorney's Office Major Violators Unit, Domestic Violence Unit and served on the Washoe County Child Death Review Team. While in private practice, Judge Walker represented the family of murder victim Charla Mack, earning a multi-million dollar wrongful death award against her killer.

Judge Walker graduated from the University of Pacific-McGeorge School of Law in 1991. While attending law school, he worked as a Registered Nurse in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. From 1982 until 1990, Judge Walker was a member of the Army National Guard and Army Reserves, working as a medic, flight medic and nurse.

Judge Walker and his wife have six children in their blended family.