When Judges Play Politics, Who’s Watching the Bench?

We urge our readers to keep sending us photos …

Isn’t the judiciary supposed to be impartial?

That’s the standard the public is told to expect: judges stay above the political fray, particularly during election season. At the very least, they’re expected to avoid the appearance of political favoritism or entanglements that could raise questions about their neutrality.

Which brings us to Dixie Grossman, the chief judge of the Family Court division within the Second Judicial District Court.

Grossman ultimately answers to the court’s chief judge, Egan Walker, who oversees the district. We’ve written quite a bit about Walker of late, and will be writing more. We hear Grossman is a regular presence at Walker’s meetings — part of his inner circle, so to speak.

But lately it’s not courthouse management that has people talking.

It’s politics.

Multiple sources say Judge Grossman has been openly supportiveof judicial candidate Angela Gianoli, who is running for Reno Municipal Court, Department 1.

Judges endorsing candidates — or even appearing to — can raise eyebrows for obvious reasons. Judicial ethics rules exist precisely to prevent the perception that the bench is aligned with political campaigns or factions.

Which is why a photo taken at the annual Jack Reviglio Cioppino Feed in February 2026 has caught the attention of more than a few courthouse watchers who took the time to send it to us.

The event, a well-known gathering, brought together a mix of candidates, elected officials, and regular people. In one photo circulating among local political circles, Judge Grossman appears in a group with Gianoli — and she’s looking, some observers say, like she wants to sprint out of the photo.

Maybe it’s nothing.

But questions have also surfaced about Gianoli’s role within the Reno City Attorney's Office, particularly in light of the ongoing investigation involving Reno Police Chief Nance, and several officers who have been placed on suspension while the matter is examined.

Those developments have prompted another set of questions circulating around City Hall and the courthouse:

Who knew what, and when? And who let it go until we hear a whistleblower came forward. Many say that alleged whistleblower might be the mayor because this is a great way to move forward with a metro police department, you know government’s favorite word consolidation.

And if individuals within the city attorney’s office were aware of the issues now under investigation, what role — if any — did they play? What did Gianoli know?

Which brings us back to Judge Grossman.

If a sitting judge is openly supporting a candidate connected to an office now facing uncomfortable questions, is that appropriate? Or at the very least, does it create an appearance problem for the judiciary?

Judges are held to a higher standard precisely because public trust in the courts depends on it.

And sometimes, as the saying goes, a photograph really can be worth a thousand words.

Some in the legal community are now quietly suggesting the situation may warrant a closer look under the state’s judicial conduct rules.

Because when judges appear to step into politics, the question isn’t just about the candidate.

It’s about the credibility of the court itself.