Nevada Judiciary

The Nevada Supreme Court has again mandated that judges in the state attend domestic violence training to update their abilities to handle the cases that the justices still consider "a major problem in Nevada."

"We want our judges to be able to handle domestic violence cases in the best possible way," said Chief Justice Bob Rose. "This training will help give them the tools they need to accomplish that goal."

Chief Justice Rose said Thursday's order mandating training for all Justice and Municipal Court judges "will ensure that every judge in the state receives the education they need and every community in Nevada benefits from the judiciary's commitment to limit the effects of domestic violence."

It was in 1993 that Justice Rose, in his initial term as chief justice, first ordered every judge in the state to attend domestic violence training in an effort to help judges recognize and deal with their growing domestic violence caseloads.

Two one-day seminars in October 1993 were attended by virtually every judge in the state and "were generally regarded as a positive effort," according to a petition filed in July with the Supreme Court by Justice Rose, who is now in his third term as chief justice.

The mandated training in 1993 was a landmark step in judicial education and the battle against domestic violence.

Chief Justice Rose has noted that "many new judges have joined the bench in Nevada since the original training sessions were offered and the Supreme Court has determined that continuing mandatory judicial education for all judicial officers in Nevada is warranted."

Thursday's order, signed by all seven justices, states, "Domestic violence continues to be a major problem in Nevada and efforts must be taken to ensure that the Nevada judiciary continues to be educated on domestic violence issues and trained in how best to handle these issues."

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges together with the Administrative Office of the Courts in Nevada developed the training sessions that will be held in Las Vegas and Reno in November. The focus will be on victim and perpetrator behavior and judicial decision-making in domestic violence cases.

These sessions, however, are designed to accommodate 50 judges each. Because of that, they will be attended primarily by judges and judicial officers who see domestic violence cases as a major part of their caseloads, these being Municipal and Justice Court judges, and District Court masters who handle temporary protective orders and other domestic violence matters.

"Training programs for District Court judges will be presented in the future," Chief Justice Rose said.