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U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks dies at age 80 after being struck by a vehicle near the Nevada courthouse

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Larry Hicks, a federal judge in Nevada for more than two decades and presiding over cases ranging from U.S. environmental litigation to political corruption trials, died after being struck by a vehicle at an intersection near the federal courthouse in Reno, authorities and his family said. He was 80.

Hicks was pronounced dead at a hospital Wednesday afternoon after the crash, Reno police said in a news release, which said the driver was cooperating with authorities and that impairment did not appear to be a factor.

Hicks was the father of current Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks, whose office released a statement on behalf of the Hicks family.

“Judge Larry Hicks was a deeply admired attorney and judge, a devoted friend, mentor and a dedicated servant of the administration of justice,” the statement said. “For us, he was first and foremost a man who put nothing before family. He was a hero in every way, a loving husband of almost 59 years, a doting father, an adoring dad and a brother. His loss is incomprehensible.”

Hicks was nominated to the U.S. District Court for Nevada by Republican President George W. Bush in 2001 and was sworn in shortly after the September 11 attacks. He continued to hear cases after assuming senior judge status in 2012.

His work covered all facets of life in Nevada, from conflicts over water rights, wild horses and gold mines to corrupt politicians, casino workers, Las Vegas entertainers and champion boxers.

In one of his high-profile trials, Hicks sentenced Nevada lobbyist and political power broker Harvey Whittemore to two years in prison in 2013 for making illegal contributions to Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid’s 2007 campaign.

Sitting in Las Vegas instead of his usual courtroom in Reno, Hicks sentenced three former Clark County commissioners to federal prison in 2006 after a sensational trial in a federal political corruption case dubbed “Operation G-sting” that stemmed from bribes to elected officials. by a strip club owner.

Hicks heard from dozens of conservationists opposing the decisions of federal land managers in Nevada, where U.S. government agencies control about four-fifths of the land. He often relied on the expertise of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in approving controversial mining projects and wild horse roundups, but not always.

Last year, he sided with opponents of a U.S. appeals court’s strict interpretation of a 150-year-old mining law that blocked a metal mine in Nevada. In 2015, he gave horse advocates a rare victory when he temporarily blocked a federal roundup of hundreds of mustangs.

Among celebrities, Hicks ordered rock star Rod Stewart to pay a Las Vegas casino more than $3 million in 2006 for failing to repay the money he paid before canceling a concert in 2000. In 2012, he gave boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. ordering approximately $114,000 to match fighter Manny Pacquiao’s lawyers in a defamation case.

Perhaps more than any other case, the Whittemore case offered both a behind-the-scenes look at the sometimes cozy political and business relationships in a Western state like Nevada, and the kind of candor and calm demeanor on the court that earned him respect from public prosecutors. lawyers alike.

He postponed the trial at one point, telling lawyers for both sides that he had “conditionally dismissed” himself for at least a week so they could decide whether they thought he should continue, in light of a variety of business and past family relationships. he revealed during a 40-minute hearing.

Hicks said he had probably known Whittemore casually for more than 20 years. The judge said that rather than put one of the attorneys in the “awkward” position of having to file a motion to remove Hicks from the case, his denial would become permanent if his clerk did not receive confidential letters from each party stating he indicated that they wanted that. to waive the judge’s refusal. Both sides did so, praising the way Hicks handled the case.

Hicks was born in Evanston, Illinois; graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, and the University of Colorado School of Law; and became district attorney in Reno in 1968. He was elected district attorney of Washoe County in 1975 and served until 1979, when he joined a prominent Nevada law firm, according to the State Bar of Nevada. In 2020, he received the association’s Presidential Award.

Flags will be flown at half-staff over Nevada’s federal courthouses, the U.S. District Court said.

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An earlier version was corrected to show that Hicks assumed senior status in 2012, not 2013, and was elected Washoe County district attorney in 1975 and served until 1979, instead of from 1974 to 1978.

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Associated Press writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas and Jeff McMillan in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

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