Nevada Courts
The Nevada State Judiciary is the arm of the Nevada State Government that oversees the settlement of legal disputes in the State. It does so by interpreting and applying the State constitution, regulations, and statutes over both civil and criminal cases. Resolution of legal matters by the Judiciary is made to promote impartiality, efficiency, and accessibility. The Judiciary does not make or enforce statutory law in the State; those are the State Legislature and the State Executive's responsibilities, respectively.
In the State of Nevada, the Judiciary is made up of Appellate Courts and Trial Courts. The appellate courts consist of the Supreme Court of Nevada and the Nevada Court of Appeals. The trial courts are made up of the District Court (including the federal appellate courts with jurisdiction over federal cases), the Justice Courts, and the Municipal Courts. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort in Nevada because it is the highest court in the State. Its fundamental responsibility is to review and decide cases appealed to it from the District Courts.
The Supreme Court does not conduct new hearings or consider new evidence in an appealed case. Instead, it reviews the appeal for possible legal reasons to either affirm, modify or reverse the decisions taken by the District Court from where the case was appealed. The Supreme Court's opinions are usually communicated via a written document, which generally captures the reasons for its decisions on the appeal. In a situation where the Supreme Court finds a legal error in the District Court's decision, the judgment may be reversed or modified. If the evidence proves sufficient to support the judgment, the Supreme Court affirms it.
The Trial Courts hear and decide cases based on the scope of their different jurisdictions over criminal and civil matters. In Nevada, the District Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction. Also, parties to a case through their legal representatives may appeal to the District Court for a review if the lower courts' decisions are not found satisfactory.
Appeals from the District Courts in the State of Nevada are directly sent to the Supreme Court. The Nevada State Court System runs a deflective model of appeals. This affords the Supreme Court the discretionary authority to direct appeals to the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals decides the cases through a three-judge panel. In situations involving certain extraordinary cases, further appeals may be sent to the Supreme Court from the Court of Appeals.
As part of the court's operations, each court maintains an administrative office that generates Nevada court records to provide an official account of all judicial proceedings in the state. Ultimately, the goal of Nevada's judicial, executive, and legislative branches are to enact, establish and enforce laws to ensure law and order in the state.
What is the Nevada Supreme Court?
The Nevada Supreme Court is the appellate court of the highest authority in the State. It is also the administrative head of the Nevada State Judiciary. The Supreme Court possesses discretionary appellate jurisdiction. This means that it may choose which of the appealed cases to assign to the Court of Appeals to decide. If the Court of Appeals ruling is still not satisfactory, such a case may then be ultimately determined by the US Supreme Court.
Apart from reviewing appeals from the District Courts, the Supreme Court oversees the activities of the State of Nevada's court system. It has the authority to define the policies and rules of administration used in all the State courts. Also, the Supreme Court supervises the activities and operations of the State Bar of Nevada. It possesses the right to define the rules of conduct of attorneys and judges in the State. It is also the Supreme Court's responsibility to appoint a Court Administrator to preside over the courts’ Administrative Office (AOC). The AOC offers support services for every State court.
Judges and court administrators from courts throughout the State all belong to the Judicial Council. The Judicial Council offers support and assistance to the Supreme Court by suggesting possible changes in the State's rules and policies. Their recommendations are based on the outcome of their researches conducted on different legal issues arising from the State.
In Nevada, the Supreme Court is presided over by the Chief Justice, who works with six associate judges. The six associate judges are usually divided into two panels of three justices each. One of the panels is traditionally based in Carson City, while the other is based in Las Vegas. It is the three-justice panels that sit over cases appealed to the Supreme Court. However, some exceptional cases may demand judgment from the meeting of all the seven justices (usually known as "en banc"). Such cases are either with remarkable precedent or have significant implications on public policy.
Nevada Court of Appeals
The Nevada Court of Appeals serves as the intermediate appellate court of the State. It hears and decides appeals that are assigned to it by the Supreme Court through a deflective model. This means that it does not directly receive appeals from the courts of lower jurisdiction. The Court of Appeals is presided over by a Chief Judge who works together with two associate judges. These judges are elected statewide to six-year terms.
Nevada District Courts
The Nevada Justice Courts have limited jurisdiction and handle only minor cases. They hear and decide criminal and traffic misdemeanor cases, evictions, and small claims matters. They also decide other civil matters involving monetary claims of not more than $15,000. Also, they hear and preside over gross misdemeanor cases and felonies.
Justice Courts may also hold preliminary hearings to decide whether or not to conduct criminal trials at the District Court based on evidence. In Nevada, Justice Courts are presided over by Justices of the Peace, each elected to a six-year term by voting.
There are 40 Justice Courts across Nevada's townships, sharing over 60 Justices of the Peace among them. The number of Justices of the Peace a town has depends on its population, but each town must have at least one Justice of the Peace. Justice Courts are funded by the county they belong to.
Nevada Justice Court
The Nevada Justice Courts have limited jurisdiction and handle only minor cases. They hear and decide criminal and traffic misdemeanor cases, evictions, and small claims matters. They also decide other civil matters involving monetary claims of not more than $15,000. Also, they hear and preside over gross misdemeanor cases and felonies.
Justice Courts may also hold preliminary hearings to decide whether or not to conduct criminal trials at the District Court based on evidence. In Nevada, Justice Courts are presided over by Justices of the Peace, each elected to a six-year term by voting.
There are 40 Justice Courts across the townships throughout Nevada, sharing over 60 Justices of the Peace among them. The number of Justices of the Peace a town has depends on its population, but each town must have at least one Justice of the Peace. Justice Courts are funded by the county they belong to.
Nevada Municipal Courts
The Nevada Municipal Courts are courts of limited jurisdiction at the city level in Nevada. They hear and decide matters of city ordinances violations involving traffic and misdemeanor cases. They also handle cases involving nuisance abatement and cases involving claims of not more than $2,500, with the city being the plaintiff. They may also hear civil matters involving the collection of unpaid utility bills.
The State of Nevada has a total of 17 Municipal Courts presided over by a total of 30 Municipal Judges. About 8 of the Municipal Judges also serve as Justices of the Peace. Justices are elected by city voting or appointed by the Mayor, as provided by the city ordinance, and in agreement with the City Council. Municipal Courts are funded by the city where they are in.
Nevada Specialty Courts
The Nevada Specialty Courts are special strategies crafted by the Administrative Office (AOC) of the Courts in Nevada for solving criminal related problems. Through these strategies, the AOC seeks to minimize the criminal activities in the Nevada State communities to the barest minimum. To achieve this goal, the Specialty Courts strive to carefully maintain a delicate balance between support, encouragement, and supervision while still maintaining authority where necessary. Specialty Courts leverage efforts and services from different government agencies to achieve their goal. Such agencies include the State courts, health agencies, law enforcement agencies, social and mental agencies, and child protection agencies.
The program of Specialty Courts includes rigorous activities which may include drug testing and frequent court appearances. They also help treat and recover their subjects through tightly regimented services. The Court provides an alternative to incarceration to offenders who abuse non-violent substances. In all, the efforts of the Specialty Courts are geared towards making the citizens more responsible, accountable, and generally law-abiding.
In Nevada, there are a total of 55 Specialty Court Programs found across both urban and rural areas of each county in the State. These programs consist of:
- Four family Drug Courts
- Seven DUI Courts
- One Prostitution Prevention Court
- Two Habitual Offender Courts
- Four Juvenile Drug Courts
- Two Medicated Assistance Courts
- 19 Adult Drug Courts
- One Re-entry court
- Three Community Courts
- Seven Mental Health Courts
What are Appeals and Court Limits in Nevada?
An Appeal is a request sent by a court case party to a court with appellate jurisdiction to review a decision over a case. Appeals are sent by parties who do not find the judgment of a court over a case satisfactory. The request for an appeal is usually sent through a written document, often known as a brief. The brief contains possible legal reasons given by the appellant to persuade the court to consider the case review. In Nevada, cases appealed from the courts of limited jurisdiction are sent to the District Courts. Appeals made from the District Courts are heard and decided by the Supreme Court.
How Do I Find My Case Number in Nevada?
A Case Number is a unique identifier for a court case. It makes every case distinct from others. As such, no two cases numbers are the same regardless of how closely related both case information appears. A typical case number consists of vital information about a case, such as the case type, year of filing, and the officer assigned to the case. To find a case number in Nevada, interested persons may contact the particular court where the case was filed.
Does Nevada Hold Remote Trials?
The Appellate Courts of Nevada have provisions for the remote hearing of a court case. This was captured in a statement released by the State Supreme Court on their official website on March 3, 2020. The decision was made to help minimize the health risks posed by the spread of COVID-19. The Supreme Court stated that attorneys are officially permitted to take part in oral arguments via video conference.
For this permission to hold, the participating attorneys must send a written request to the Office of the Supreme Court's Clerk. As stipulated, the request for approval must be sent at least three working days before the appointed date for the oral argument. The Supreme Court uses a videoconferencing system that requires computer internet access using a laptop or a desktop.
The computer system must have video (webcam) and audio features to aid better visual and oral communication among participants. The requester's internet capabilities must be compatible with that of the court to minimize possible network inconsistencies. Remote court proceedings in the Supreme Court are usually streamed live on the Supreme Court website. The live stream enables interested persons from different places to watch and listen to the arguments from their various locations' comfort.
