About Jonathan

Jonathan MacArthur has been a dedicated criminal trial lawyer since September of 2000. As evidenced by past experiences, his drive has long been the goal of assisting the underrepresented in achieving and accepting justice. From his service as a public defender, to his appointment as judge pro tem, he has steadily built a career on his belief that everyone deserves an impartial trial before an unbiased judicial system.

>> Click here to read his biography.

The Politics of Justice:
The Story Behind Jonathan MacArthur’s Bid for
Judge in North Las Vegas
by: Tiffany Pace

At 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon in mid-June a motley group of volunteers remains gathered in the corner of Starbucks at MLK and Cheyenne trying to hydrate themselves. It’s 106 degrees outside, and they’ve been going door-to-door in their black campaign t-shirts handing out literature supporting Jonathan MacArthur. Joseph is Jonathan’s teenage brother—21 years his junior—and he is running on three hours of sleep, as teenage boys on summer break are apt to do. Jeff Black, another volunteer, is Jonathan’s longtime colleague and friend. He tells the story of coming upon a group of kids with water balloons and encouraging the kids to pummel him with them, which they did gleefully. Jonathan and his volunteers are sticky and baked and tired, but they are all in surprisingly good spirits. They have been at it for nine weeks now, and they will do it again next Saturday morning. And the next. And every Saturday until the primary election in August.

This has been the grassroots nature of Jonathan MacArthur’s campaign for justice of the peace. Despite having an uncanny ability to raise funds for the campaign, he relies on the belief, passion, and support of the people who know him well to help him reach the thousands of people in North Las Vegas who will need to know what he stands for.

In 2005, Jonathan was encouraged to run for office in North Las Vegas by Judge Lee Gates, a mentor of his and for whom he was once a law clerk. At the time, Jonathan was unconvinced, as he was enjoying his career as an attorney. But Judge Gates revisited the subject several times over the next few years, and he continued to open Jonathan’s eyes to the possibility of being able to make a bigger difference to the community as a judge than he could as an attorney. Additionally, Jonathan saw a trend during his years as a criminal defense attorney that had become increasingly disturbing—one that he wanted to change.

>> Click here to read the full story.