Miriam Shearing

Justice Miriam Shearing is a lawyer who has served in the Nevada judiciary for more than 40 years. During her career, she broke through the all-male bastion of the state judiciary multiple times. She was the first woman to serve as Juvenile Court Referee, as Justice of the Peace in Las Vegas Township, as Nevada District Court Judge, as Juvenile Court Judge, and as Nevada Supreme Court Justice, as well as Chief Justice. A graduate of Cornell University and Boston College Law School, Shearing moved to Las Vegas in 1968 with her husband, ophthalmologist Steven Shearing and their three children.

After retiring from the judiciary, she was drawn to the Beverly Rogers, Carol Harter Black Mountain Institute at UNLV which supports good writing and young writers and seeks to enliven the local literary culture. Shearing became a supporter of fellowships for young writers. She has also been a stalwart supporter of the Women’s Research Institute of Nevada at UNLV, UNLV University Libraries, the William S. Boyd School of Law and the UNLV College of Liberal Arts.

Justice Shearing is the recent recipient of the Nevada Board of Regents’ Distinguished Nevadan Award, the Nevada System of Higher Education’s most prestigious honor. She also received the Legacy of Justice Award from the Nevada Supreme Court in 2012 and the President’s Award from the National Association of Women Judges in 2006.