Judge Mathew P. Harter

The Honorable Mathew Paul Harter was born April 11, 1966, in Reno, Nevada, and spent most of his life in Las Vegas. He graduated from Bonanza High School in 1984 and went on to earn his bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He then completed his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, at Western Michigan University (formerly Thomas M. Cooley Law School), and began practicing law in Las Vegas in 1994.

Judge Harter devoted his career to the law and, in time, to the bench. He served as a District Court arbitrator from 2004 to 2008 before being elected to the Eighth Judicial District Court in 2008, presiding over the Family Law Division, Department N. He was re-elected in 2014 and ran unopposed in 2020, serving on the Family Court bench until his death. In 2018 he was also a candidate for the Nevada Supreme Court.

Colleagues and family recalled his sense of purpose in family law, an area he regarded as part of his life's calling. He felt a deep conviction to advocate for those who did not have a voice, and he took particular care in matters affecting the safety and well-being of children. Judge Harter died November 9, 2022, in Las Vegas at the age of 56.