Judge Deborah L. Westbrook

Judge Deborah L. Westbrook was elected in November 2022 to serve a six-year term on the Nevada Court of Appeals that commenced in January 2023.

Judge Westbrook was born in the Pacific Northwest and graduated valedictorian of Mercer Island High School. In 1998, she received her Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Washington, with honors, magna cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. In 2002, Judge Westbrook received her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law and was elected to the Order of the Coif after serving on the Washington Law Review as both the Topics Editor and an author.

Prior to taking the bench, Judge Westbrook practiced law in Nevada for nearly two decades. From 2013-2022, she served as a chief deputy public defender in the appellate division of the Clark County Public Defender’s Office. Before that, Judge Westbrook practiced labor and employment law at Littler Mendelson from 2005-2013, and at Kamer Zucker Abbott from 2004-2005. Judge Westbrook developed a love of appellate practice when she clerked for Chief Judge Eric T. Washington on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in 2003.

In 2021 and 2022, Judge Westbrook was named one of Vegas Inc.’s Top Lawyers for appellate work. She was also named Defender of the Year in 2021 for her volunteer work on behalf of the Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice. In 2020, Judge Westbrook received the Scott H. Waite Award for Excellence in Indigent Defense from the Clark County Public Defender’s Office. Judge Westbrook was also named one of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business by Chambers USA in 2012 and 2013.

Judge Westbrook is highly respected for her leadership and service to Nevada’s legal community. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Howard D. McKibben Chapter of the American Inns of Court. Judge Westbrook also actively participates in the Appellate Litigation Section of the State Bar of Nevada as an At Large Member, having previously served as Secretary in 2022. Since 2020, Judge Westbrook has served on the Editorial Board of the State Bar’s Nevada Lawyer magazine, both as an Issue Editor and as a past Chair.

Over the years, Judge Westbrook has served on various Commissions of the Nevada Supreme Court. Most recently, Judge Westbrook co-chaired the Commission on the Nevada Rules of Appellate Procedure (NRAP), culminating in the August 2024 amendments to the NRAP. From 2016-2023, Judge Westbrook was an integral member of the Nevada Supreme Court’s Criminal Jury Instructions Subcommittee, which published the Nevada Pattern Criminal Jury Instructions in January 2023.

Judge Westbrook lives in Las Vegas with her husband David and their son Sam. In her free time, Judge Westbrook enjoys running in marathons and Ragnar relay races in scenic spots across the country.