| Blue Ribbon Commission to Study Nevada Courts |
| Thursday, 16 November 2006 11:14 | |||
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The Nevada Supreme Court has formed a blue ribbon commission to study all aspects of the Nevada Judiciary and report back to the Legislature and the Court in 2007. The commission is called the Article 6 Commission after the portion of the Nevada Constitution that established the Nevada Court system, Chief Justice Robert Rose explained.
Article 6 addresses such issues as:
Commission on Judicial Discipline Chief Justice Rose said "the Commission will have wide discretion to examine not only the constitutional provisions governing the judiciary, but also any other major concerns about the Nevada Courts that are identified, even if not specifically referenced in the Nevada Constitution." "The Supreme Court has great expectations for this Commission and hopes it will provide a blueprint for our judicial future," Rose observed. He also stated that he expects the Commission to tackle such controversial issues as the influence of money and special interests in judicial elections, and the accountability and discipline of Nevada judges. Chief Justice Rose will chair the initial meeting of the Commission in December prior to his retirement. Justices Mike Douglas and Ron Parraguirre will then co-chair the Commission, with incoming Chief Justice Bill Maupin having general oversight of the project. The Court named the following members to the blue ribbon Commission: Mike Benjamin, Judge Peter Breen, Hanna Brown, Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, Tyrus Cobb, Frankie Sue Del Papa, President William Dressel, Kathleen England, Merlinda Gallegos, Judge Lee Gates, Judge David Hardy, Mark James, Ron Longtin, Otto Merida Dean Richard Morgan, Randy Pike, Gene Porter, Senator Bill Raggio, Jack Reviglio, Charles Short, Tina Siller, Ron Titus, Craig Walton, Pilar Maria Weiss, Spike Wilson, (A full membership list is attached to this release). "It is an appropriate time to conduct a comprehensive review of the Nevada Court system because of the heightened interest in the Supreme Court’,s operation and decision making process," Chief Justice Rose stated. He indicated that Nevada Courts have been in the news quite a bit lately, and with judicial elections just completed and the 2007 Legislature approaching, it is an excellent time to review the judicial system and make recommendations. An in-depth study of Nevada courts has not been conducted since 1994 when the Nevada Judicial Assessment Commission was created by the Supreme Court to take a broad look at Nevada’,s justice system. That Commission, which also was created by Chief Justice Rose during his first term as Chief Justice and is commonly referred to as the "Rose Commission," made numerous recommendations for improvement of the Nevada judiciary. "Most recommendations of the Rose Commission have been adopted either by law or by court rule," Chief Justice Rose stated. "The effectiveness of that Commission shows what can be accomplished." The first meeting will be held at the Supreme Court in December 2006, and all meetings of the Commission will be opened to the public. It is anticipated that the Commission will meet every other month and rotate the meeting place between north and south. Subcommittees created by the Commission will be working between meetings. "I anticipate a no-nonsense, hardworking Commission that gets to the important issues quickly and is able to make recommendations to the Legislature during the 2007 session," Chief Justice Rose stated. However, it is anticipated that the Commission will continue to work through 2007 and perhaps into 2008. ARTICLE 6 COMMISSION MEMBERS Chairman - Chief Justice Bob Rose JUDGES David Hardy, District Court Judge-Family Court Division ATTORNEYS Randy Pike - Attorney at Law COURT ADMINISTRATION Ron Titus - Director, Administrative Office of the Courts LAY MEMBERS Craig Walton, Nevada Center for Public Ethics
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