Peter I. Thunell

District Judge - Eighth Judicial District Court - Civil/Criminal Division - Department XXVI

Pete Thunell grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, graduating from Fort Collins High School in 1993.  He attended Brigham Young University where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and Print Journalism. After college, he worked as a reporter in Salt Lake City and then moved on to work in public relations at a large company in Provo, Utah, specializing in internal communications. He attended the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, graduating in 2007. After graduating, he relocated with his family to Las Vegas where he worked at Alverson, Taylor, Mortensen & Sanders. In 2008, he joined the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, where he worked for 18 years. At the District Attorney’s Office, he filled a number of roles including Prosecutor over Sex Trafficking cases, Team Chief of the Outlying Team covering all Courts in the County not in Las Vegas, Team Chief over Las Vegas Strip Court and Team Chief over the Special Victims Unit. On March 12, 2026, he was appointed by Governor Lombardo to be the Judge in Department 26 where he handles both criminal and civil matters. He lives in Las Vegas with his wife of 25 years and four children.

Source: official court website - retrieved Aug 22, 2026