Jessica Smith-Peterson has called Nevada home for the past 7 years and currently serves the community as a Chief Deputy Public Defender at the Clark County Public Defender’s Office in Las Vegas, Nevada. In her work as a public defender, Jessica zealously advocates on behalf of indigent defendants accused of misdemeanor and felony charges. 

She has served on several boards as a former national student board member for the American Constitution Society (ACS) , former national secretary for the National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP) and alumna and former alumni council member for Young People For (YP4), a national social justice incubator for college aged people through People for the American Way. Locally, Jessica has worked with the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Bar Association, the Las Vegas Chapter of the Urban League Young Professionals, and Prison Families Alliance.

She has served as a legal observer with the National Lawyers Guild Las Vegas chapter, Ensuring  the  rights of protesters were upheld, and served as an inaugural steering committee member leading virtual teach-ins durning the  pandemic on  criminal justice. Jessica is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She lives in Las Vegas, NV with her husband, Chris, daughters Zora and Simone, and rescue cat and dog, Bodega and Harley.

Since arriving to Las Vegas Jessica has made it her mission to continue to serve the greater community. Her warmth, experiences, and affinity for helping others would serve her well on the bench.