Nevada Judiciary

Nevada Supreme Court Justice William Maupin will again assume the position of Chief Justice in December and hold it until the end of the year. It is a position he held during 2007 and then turned over to current Chief Justice Mark Gibbons for 2008.

With his judicial career coming to a close, Justice Maupin will now retire at the helm of Nevada’s highest court.

Chief Justice Gibbons said he is turning the reins of the Supreme Court back to Justice Maupin “to honor his years of commitment to the courts and Nevada’s justice system.”

“Given his achievements and contributions, it is fitting that Justice Maupin retire as Chief Justice,” said Chief Justice Gibbons.

“I am overwhelmed by this gesture, said Justice Maupin, who also served as Chief Justice in 2000 and 2001.

As Chief Justice during 2007, Justice Maupin was instrumental in creating the Indigent Defense Commission and the Commission on the Preservation, Access, and Sealing of Court Records.

He also has worked throughout his legal and judicial career to improve the efficiency of the court system through alternate dispute resolution, such as arbitration and mediation.

Under the Nevada Constitution, only justices in the last two years of their current 6-year term of office are eligible to be Chief Justice.

When two or more justices are eligible to be Chief Justice, the question of who prevails may be decided “by lot” under the Nevada Constitution – historically a coin toss.

But the eligible justices may also resolve the issue by dividing the duties, as has been the case in recent years.

The matter has been an issue since 1967 when the Supreme Court was expanded from three to five justices. The court was again enlarged to seven justices in 1999.

Under the Constitution, the terms of the justices must be as staggered as possible. Currently, two justices are elected on one election cycle, two on another election cycle two years later, and three on the third cycle.