By the time a temporary protection order forced a Reno family court judge to stay away from a local attorney, court leaders were already moving to pull her off cases. Within days, she said she would leave the bench altogether.
What Sparked The Protection Order
Washoe County Judge Bridget Robb, 63, recently announced her retirement after nearly two decades on the bench, shortly after another Nevada court granted a temporary protective order to attorney Kelci Binau. According to court filings described in coverage by Fox News, Binau accused Robb of stalking her over more than a year at multiple locations in and around Reno, including homes, workplaces, and a fitness studio.
In the application for the order, Binau described what she called a willful, repeated and patterned
course of conduct beginning around May 2024 and continuing up to the issuance of the temporary protection order. She alleged that Robb’s behavior created fear and concern for her personal safety and continued even after repeated requests that it stop.
Under Nevada law, temporary protection orders in stalking cases are civil orders that restrict contact and proximity. They are typically issued for a limited period, often up to 45 days, after which a judge decides whether to extend or modify them at a follow-up hearing. Reporting by Fox News and local outlet News 4 Reno indicates that such a hearing in this case was scheduled for mid February to determine whether Binau’s order will remain in place.
Alleged Encounters Around Reno
Court records described by News 4 Reno reportedly detail dozens of alleged encounters between Robb and Binau and suggest there may have been many more. Those filings claim Robb appeared repeatedly near locations connected to Binau, including residential areas and the shopping center that houses a gym Binau frequented.
According to those reports, the Reno Police Department opened an investigation into Robb in 2024. Detectives began monitoring the fitness studio and the surrounding shopping center. Fox News, citing court documents and News 4 Reno, reported that officers saw Robb loitering around
the area while Binau was inside working out.
Earlier this year, detectives who saw Robb driving through the area pulled her vehicle over, followed her home, and conducted an interview. In her sworn filings, Binau alleges that Robb admitted during that recorded interview to stalking her. Fox News reports that the interview was captured on the detectives’ body-worn cameras.
Robb, according to the same account of the court records, told officers she was collecting information
during her drives and described her actions as a coping mechanism tied to a prior personal relationship. At this stage, that explanation and the alleged admission are part of the written record in a civil protection case. They have not been tested in a criminal trial.
How The Court Responded
Once the temporary protective order was issued, the impact inside the Washoe County courthouse was immediate. Chief District Judge Egan Walker removed Robb from all active cases and committee assignments, according to statements given to News 4 Reno and cited by Fox News. A spokesperson for the Second Judicial District Court said the court had opened an internal investigation into Robb’s conduct.
Shortly afterward, Robb informed the public she would step down. In a statement provided to The Nevada Independent, she said, After careful consideration, I have made the decision to retire from my position as a judge. At this time, I believe stepping away from my judicial role and the election is in the best interest of the court, my family, and the community. I ask for respect and understanding for all involved during this transition.
Robb also withdrew from an election for the Second Judicial District Court, Department 10, where she had been challenging sitting District Judge Kathleen Sigurdson. She had previously served in Department 13 as a family court judge and had been on the bench since 2006, when she was appointed by then-Governor Kenny Guinn, according to biographical details reported by Fox News.
Robb has not publicly addressed the stalking allegations in detail. Her retirement statement did not mention Binau by name or reference the protection order, focusing instead on what she described as the interests of the court and her family.
Police Investigation And Possible Criminal Exposure
Public reporting indicates that the Reno Police Department investigation into Robb began in 2024 and continued into this year. As of the latest available coverage from Fox News and local outlets, there has been no public announcement of criminal charges against Robb related to stalking or any other offense.
In Nevada, stalking can be charged as a misdemeanor or, when certain aggravating factors are present, as a felony. Chapter 200 of the Nevada Revised Statutes defines stalking related offenses and sets out possible penalties, which can include jail time, fines, and court-ordered counseling, depending on the circumstances and criminal history of the person accused. The law also authorizes courts to issue protective orders that restrict the accused from contacting or approaching the person who sought protection. Those statutes are available on the Nevada Legislature’s website at leg.state.nv.us.
In this case, the protection order against Robb is a civil measure, separate from any potential criminal case. The upcoming hearing on whether to extend the order will use a lower standard of proof than a criminal trial and will focus on whether there is sufficient evidence of harassment or stalking to justify continued restrictions on Robb’s movements and contact with Binau.
Until and unless prosecutors file charges, Robb remains accused rather than convicted. The allegations against her rest on Binau’s sworn statements, any supporting evidence the attorney has provided, and the findings that led a judge to grant a temporary order. The contents of the Reno police investigation and any recommendations from detectives have not been made public in full.
Judicial Ethics And Public Trust
A temporary protective order against a sitting judge is rare and places unusual pressure on a court system that is tasked with both safeguarding the public and policing its own ranks. Nevada judges are bound by the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct, which instructs them to avoid not only actual impropriety but also the appearance of impropriety in all activities. Information about those standards is published by the Nevada judiciary at nvcourts.gov.
When a judge becomes the subject of serious allegations such as stalking, multiple processes can unfold at once. There may be a police investigation, as in Robb’s case. There can also be administrative steps inside the court, such as temporary reassignment of cases and internal inquiries, along with the possibility of a separate complaint to the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline. Public reporting so far has focused on the protection order, the police investigation, and Robb’s retirement, and has not documented any public disciplinary findings by that commission.
Robb’s decision to step down removed the immediate question of whether she could continue to preside over cases while she was the subject of a protection order and an active police investigation. It did not resolve the underlying allegations in Binau’s filings or the broader accountability questions for a judge who had nearly twenty years of service.
What Remains Unresolved
Several key steps lie ahead. The scheduled hearing on Binau’s protection order will determine whether the civil restrictions on Robb are extended or modified, based on evidence presented in court. The Reno Police Department has not publicly announced the outcome of its investigation or whether it has referred the case for prosecution.
The Second Judicial District Court’s internal inquiry is ongoing, according to statements cited by News 4 Reno and Fox News, and the details of that review have not been released. It also remains unclear whether any judicial disciplinary body will take additional action now that Robb has retired from the bench.
For now, the public has access to a limited set of documents and media accounts that describe a pattern of alleged stalking, a swift removal of judicial duties, and a retirement framed as being in the interest of the court and community. How the legal system ultimately characterizes Robb’s conduct, and what further records become public, will determine whether this case stands as an isolated episode or as a broader test of how Nevada handles serious allegations against its own judges.
