About This Court -General Information

-Administrative   Structure

-Judicial Officers

-History of Court House

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THOMAS M. ANDERSON

Presiding Judge, 2010 - present
Assistant Presiding Judge, 2008 - 2009

Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Nevada,
2007 - present

Public Defender, County of Nevada, 2000 - 2007
Public Defender, County of Lassen, 1996 - 2000

Attorney - Private Practice, San Francisco, CA 1982 - 1996: Criminal and civil law, mediation, litigation and appeals.

Pro Tem: Office of Administrative Hearings and San Francisco Superior Courts

Golden Gate University School of Law, JD 1981

Kent State University, BA 1973
 

Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Nevada, September 2005 – present ;

Presiding Judge, 2007 - 2010

Commissioner, Nevada County Superior Court and  Sierra County Superior Court, October 1997 – September 2005

University of San Francisco, J.D., June 1974
University of San Francisco, B.S., June 1971

Admitted:
California Supreme Court, 1974
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 1974
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, 1975

Attorney, private practice, Nevada County, June 1975 – September 1997

Organizer and/or faculty for various state and local legal educational programs 2001-2007
Trustee, Nevada County Law Library, 1998 – 2005
California State Law Library Task Force, 2004-05
Co-Founder, Nevada County Legal Assistance, Inc., 1975

CANDACE S. HEIDELBERGER

Assistant Presiding Judge, 2010 - present

Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Nevada 2007 – present

Proposition 36 Court, 2008-present

Trustee, Nevada County Law Library, 2008-present

Lincoln Law School of Sacramento, JD, May 1994 - Class Valedictorian

1994-1997: Private practice, handling a wide variety of cases, including family, civil and criminal law; probate, guardianship and conservatorship matters; and juvenile delinquency and dependency cases. Served as an arbitrator under appointment by the Nevada County Superior Court.

1997-2002: Deputy public defender, Placer County Public Defender’s Office, assigned to juvenile dependency cases.

2002-2007: Private practice, representing indigent parents and children in juvenile dependency proceedings in Placer County pursuant to a contract with the Placer County Courts (2002-2007); and representing indigent parents in juvenile dependency proceedings in Nevada County first under the supervision of the Nevada County Public Defender’s Office pursuant to a memorandum of understanding (2002-2004), and then pursuant to a contract with the Nevada County Courts (2004-2007).

1996-2007: Served as a panel attorney for the Central California Appellate Program, appointed to represent indigent parties in their appeals.

Judge Heidelberger has resided in Nevada County since 1976.

Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Nevada 2005-present

University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, LL.M. Transnational Practice, 1986

University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, J.D., 1985

California State University, Sacramento, B.A., 1982

Deputy County Counsel, Nevada County, 2001-2005

Deputy District Attorney, Nevada County, 1990-2001

Deputy District Attorney, Calaveras County, 1986-1990

Deputy District Attorney, Amador County, 1986-1988

Current Assignment

Department III, Unified Family Court

Family Law

Adoptions

Probate Guardianships

Juvenile Delinquency

            Juvenile Drug Court

            Juvenile YES Mental Health Court

            Juvenile Peer Court

Juvenile Dependency

Other Activities

Administrative Office of the Courts, Collaborative Courts Advisory Committee

Administrative Office of the Courts, Best Practices Initiative Implementation Team

Childrens Executive Committee

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission

Mental Health Forensic Task Force

Board Member Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Nevada County

Member of 49er Rotary of Nevada County

ROBERT L. "BOB" TAMIETTI

- Faculty Member, Cow County Judges Institute, 2011
- Faculty Member, B.E Witkin Judicial College, 2011
- Supervising Judge, Civil Grand Jury, 2006 - 2009
- Assistant Presiding Judge, 2004 - 2008

Judge Tamietti is assigned to the Truckee Branch of the Superior Court where he handles criminal cases, juvenile delinquency cases, divorce and child custody cases, and civil cases. For the seven years prior to his current assignment, Judge Tamietti handled primarily felony criminal cases, and occasional civil cases in the Nevada City Branch. He also administered several of Nevada County’s renowned collaborative courts, specifically, Adult Drug Court , Juvenile Dependency Drug Court, Juvenile Peer Court, and Proposition 36 Drug Rehab Court in the Nevada City Branch while sitting in Departments 1 and 4.

Judge Tamietti served as Assistant Presiding Judge from 2004 to 2008. He also served as Supervising Judge for the Nevada County Civil Grand Jury from 2006 to 2009. Judge Tamietti has served on the Appellate Panel of the Nevada County Superior Court continuously since 2004, hearing appeals from misdemeanor and traffic trials, and was elevated to Presiding Judge of the Appellate Panel in November of 2010.

Former Governor Gray Davis appointed Judge Tamietti to the Superior Court on November 7, 2003 to fill the seat vacated by then Judge M. Kathleen Butz who was elevated to the Court of Appeal for the Third District. He was elected without opposition to a six year term in June of 2006.

Judge Tamietti is a third generation resident of Nevada County, despite being born in San Diego, California in 1952. He has resided in Truckee since 1990.

Prior to his service as a judge, Judge Tamietti practiced law in Truckee and in San Francisco, handling civil law, bankruptcy, employment, and land use matters. He is a proud alumnus of The University of Utah (B.S. 1982 and J.D. 1985) and of Mission Viejo High School (1970).

Judge Tamietti enjoys reading military history, and travels frequently to the sites of military encounters in World War II and the Civil War. Judge Tamietti also enjoys flat-water kayaking, hiking, playing third base on his slow pitch softball team, and snowboarding. He is also a mediocre fly fisherman and a more mediocre golfer.

Judge Tamietti is active in the Friends of the Nevada County Military, a charity that supports the men and women in military service to our country and their families, and in a variety of other charities that support those persons recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse. Judge Tamietti also volunteers as an umpire for the Truckee Little League.

Judge Tamietti counsels those appearing in his department to be on time, to be cheerful, and to be prepared.

B. SCOTT THOMSEN

Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Nevada, December 2010-present

Commissioner, Superior Court of California, Nevada and Sierra Counties, November 2005-2010

Juvenile Hearing Officer for the Superior Court of California, County of Nevada, 2000 to May 2005

Judge Thomsen received his juris doctorate degree from the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business administration from Menlo College.

Judge Thomsen began his legal career handling insurance defense litigation. From 1990 to 1996, he was a general practitioner and handled a wide variety of civil litigation. In 1996 he became certified as a Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. From 1996 to his appointment as Commissioner, he handled family law, dependency, delinquency and criminal defense matters.

As Commissioner, Judge Thomsen was assigned to handle the Family Law Title IV-D calendar for Sierra and Nevada Counties, Family Law matters assigned to Department 5 (Nevada City Branch) and Department B (Truckee Branch), Adult and Juvenile Traffic calendar (Truckee Branch), Civil Settlement Conferences (Truckee Branch), small claims appeals and other civil and criminal cases as assigned.

Judge Thomsen is currently assigned to Department 2 handling Criminal, Unlawful Detainer and a general calendar.

Faculty, 2009 / 2010 CJER Family Law Overview Course
Faculty, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 AB1058 Statewide Child Support Conference
Faculty, 2008 & 2009 judicial ethics elective training for Commissioners
Faculty, 2009 Family Law Institute
Faculty, training Commissioners & Judges on use of the Guideline Child Support Calculator 2008/2009
Faculty, 2009 Family Dispute Resolution Statewide Educational Institute
Faculty, Nevada County Family Law Department Annual Update, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 , 2009, 2010
Faculty, Nevada County Dependency Law Update, 2003
Member, Elkins Task Force
Member, AB1058 Resource project
Member, AB1058 Guideline Calculator Coordination Team
Trustee, Nevada County Law Library 2010
California Court Commissioners Association 2006 to present
California Judges Association 2006 to present
Faculty, 2011 Granlibakken Conference
Faculty, 2011 Domestic Violence + Self Represented Litigants Confernce 
 

YVETTE DURANT

Court Commissioner - Superior Court of California, Nevada & Sierra Counties - 2011 to present
Current Assignment - Dept. 5 Nevada City Branch, Dept. B Truckee Branch, Sierra County Title IV-D Commissioner

Faculty, 2011 - AB 1058 Statewide Child Support Conference

Commissioner Yvette Durant earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle, WA in 1991. She obtained a Bachelor's of Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Reno graduating with High Distinction in 1987.

Commissioner Durant grew up in Reno, Nevada and was introduced to Nevada County in 1978 when she began spending summers in Truckee with her family at a small cabin built by her father. She lived in Truckee full-time in the mid-1980's while attending the University of Nevada, Reno. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle, Washington in 1991 and moved back to Truckee several years later. She holds licenses to practice law in California, Nevada and Washington.

Commissioner Durant has practiced in the areas of complex construction, real estate, landlord/tenant, personal injury and family law. She opened her own law practice in historic downtown Truckee in early 2000 focusing primarily on family and personal injury law cases including an emphasis on mediation. She also served as a Judge Pro Tem in Nevada, Placer and El Dorado Counties, as well as a court appointed arbitrator for Nevada County.

Currently, Commissioner Durant is assigned to Department 5 in Nevada City and Department B in Truckee. She handles Title IV-D matters for Nevada and Sierra Counties; family law and motion matters; family law settlement conferences and trials; small claims appeals; domestic violence; civil harassment; and adult and juvenile traffic calendars