Judge William Voy of the Eighth Judicial District Court’s Family Division, will retire effective May 31, 2022. In a letter to the governor and chief justice of the Nevada Supreme Court announcing his retirement, Judge Voy wrote, “For the last twenty-four years, it has been my great privilege and honor to serve the families and citizens of Clark County and the State of Nevada. I look forward to being able to continue to serve the families and citizens of Nevada in the future.”
Voy was appointed by the governor to the Eighth Judicial District Court in 1998. For the first five years, Judge Voy heard domestic matters related primarily to divorce, custody and child-support. He also presided over the Adult Mental Health Civil Commitment Court. In 2003, he was selected to preside over the juvenile delinquency court.
In 2005, Judge Voy established the nation’s first specialty court for sexually exploited youth. In addition, he implemented the state’s first juvenile diversion court and mental health court, as well as oversaw the implementation of Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) that reduced average daily population in detention by 50 percent. As a result, Judge Voy developed the first Probation 24/7 Intensive Supervision Unit in the country.
Judge Voy has been a key figure in Keeping Kids in School Summits hosted by the Eighth Judicial District Court, the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority, and the Clark County School District. The summits have been held over many years to bring those involved in education, justice, and youth services together to cover techniques to improve student success and graduation rates. Judge William Voy also oversaw the Truancy Diversion Program (TDP) an effective, non-punitive, incentive-based approach to re-engage at-risk students with truancy problems to prevent and reduce youth crime.
Prior to being appointed to the District Court bench, Judge Voy spent 10 years in private practice in Las Vegas and also served as a captain in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Office, stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Judge Voy received his law degree from Willamette University in Salem Oregon in 1986.