Authorities on May 29 confirmed the death of U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks in Reno, Nevada. He was 80.
Judge Hicks, an appointee of President George W. Bush in 2001, was struck at an intersection on the afternoon of May 29, taken to a hospital, and pronounced dead, police said in a statement. The driver cooperated with authorities, and impairment didn’t appear to be a factor, according to the statement.
The Reno Police Department didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time. Other details about the incident, including whether Judge Hicks was a pedestrian or driving a vehicle, were not provided.
The Truckee Meadows Fire Department wrote that it is “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of United States, District Court Judge Larry R. Hicks.”
“On behalf of the men and women of the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, we offer our deepest sympathy to the Hicks Family including his son, Washoe DA Chris Hicks,” it wrote.
Judge Hicks will be fondly remembered by the community, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Despite his notable accomplishments, Judge Hicks once stated, ‘My greatest thrill in life is my family.’ His life philosophy was based on a balance of family, work, and self,'” Mr. Balaam said.
“Larry Hicks was a one of a kind man, revered in our community and, most importantly, beloved by his family. On behalf of my family and the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, we extend our deepest condolences to Larry’s son Chris, the current District Attorney, and all of Larry’s family. Judge Hicks’ legacy will forever be noted in Washoe County.”
In a statement, Reno Police Chief Kathryn Nance said, “On the behalf of the men and women of the Reno Police Departments, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Judge Hicks.”
Judge Hicks started his law career in 1968 as a prosecutor in the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office before becoming the county’s district attorney in the mid-1970s. After that, he joined the private practice McDonald, Carano, Wilson, McCune, Bergin, Frankovich & Hicks LLP, until he was appointed by President Bush to serve as a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Nevada.
He assumed senior status as a Nevada District Court judge in 2013, and before his death, he had an active caseload with the Reno Court, the district court’s website said.
Judge Hicks also was the president of the State Bar of Nevada from 1993 to 1994 and was on the state bar’s board of governors between 1988 and 1994, according to the court system.
A noteworthy case that he presided over was a bribery case in which a former Nevada sheriff’s deputy, Michon Mills, was charged with accepting $10,000 in gifts from the founder of “Girls Gone Wild,” Joe Francis, while he was imprisoned in Nevada.
Judge 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 lawyer and judge, a devoted friend, mentor, and a committed servant to the administration of justice,” the family said in the statement. “To us, he was first and foremost, a man who put nothing before family. He was a hero in all manners, a loving husband of nearly 59 years, a doting dad, an adoring Papa, and brother. His loss is beyond comprehension.”
