Nevada Judiciary

The audio files, sometimes called podcasts, of Supreme Court arguments can be downloaded and listened to on any computer, or downloaded to an MP3 player for listening.

"The Supreme Court has been working toward this goal for some time," said Chief Justice William Maupin. "Providing audio files on our website will open a new door to the workings of the Supreme Court. Anyone with a computer can now experience first hand how we conduct business."

The oral argument on Sept. 13 involved an appeal filed by Eighth Judicial District Judge Elizabeth Halverson of her suspension from the bench by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline. Judge Halverson has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the suspension and return her to the bench. The arguments in Carson City were conducted before the full court, although Justices Mark Gibbons and Michael Cherry have recused themselves.

While the arguments were open to the public, as always, few people have the opportunity to attend the the court session. Chief Justice Maupin said the audio files on the website now allow anyone with an interest in Supreme Court oral arguments hear what occurs. Recording of the proceeding, however, will not be available until after the arguments have concluded and the data is formatted –, hopefully by the end of the day. Files of arguments generally will stay on the website for about a month.

Accessing the oral argument audio files can be done through the Audio File icon on the home page of the Court's Web site: www.nvsupremecourt.us, or by going directly into the oral argument page at: http://www.nvsupremecourt.us/info/audio/index.php.

An added feature is that each oral argument listed on the main page has a "Details" link, which provides further information, including the names of those appearing before the court, the length of the argument, the start times, and speakers. Both the oral argument page and the "Details" page include instructions for listening to audio files on a PC, downloading the file, or using popular MP3 download sites like Apple iTunes, Juice, Odeo, and PodNova. The list of audio files is also available as an RSS feed.

"For the past few years, the Court has consistently worked to provide better public access to our processes," Chief Justice Maupin said. "This year we held oral arguments in Reno, Ely, and Elko in addition to regular sessions at the Supreme Court’,s facilities in Carson City and Las Vegas. We also hold annual court sessions at the Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas."

"Providing audio files will allow the Court to expand its commitment to public access," he said. "At some point the Supreme Court would like to have the ability to provide live webcasts of oral arguments, but the Court does not currently have the courtroom cameras to do so."