October 21, 2026 - 4:11 pm

A former Nye County prosecutor defended Michele Fiore’s work on the bench, describing the suspended Pahrump justice of the peace as “outstanding” during a hearing before a judicial review panel Wednesday.

Jason Gunnell was the final witness in Fiore’s three-day hearing before the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline. Gunnell said that when he took the job in Pahrump, he had heard that the justice court was a kangaroo court.

“I was initially hesitant when I heard that Judge Fiore was going to be the judge because you hear a lot of stuff about her in the news,” Gunnell said. “But I was pleasantly surprised. Judge Fiore was fair. She was outstanding as a justice of the peace.”

Gunnell said Fiore always showed humility when she encountered unfamiliar legal issues.…