Nevada Judiciary

The 2011 Annual Report of the Nevada Judiciary has been released, providing a detailed look at what the Nevada Supreme Court and courts at all levels throughout Nevada have accomplished during fiscal year 2011, Chief Justice Nancy M. Saitta announced.

The 48-page annual report is available to the public as a printed document at the Administrative Office of the Courts in Carson City or Las Vegas or it can be accessed and downloaded from the Supreme Court website: Click here to access the report.

“The Report details not only the workloads of every court in the state, but also provides information about the program achievements of all of our courts,” said Chief Justice Saitta.

“With the number of cases filed per judicial position at the trial courts among the highest in America, and with local governments slashing budgets and imposing furloughs, the courts are in crisis,” Chief Justice Saitta said.  “But the judges and court staff here in Nevada are committed to keeping the door to justice open and committed to resolving the issues that come before us as expeditiously as possible.”

The Annual Report is based on statistics the trial courts have provided in a uniform manner since 1999, at the direction of the Supreme Court. 

“These annual reports demonstrate the transparency of the Judicial Branch,” Chief Justice Saitta said.  “The statistics have become an invaluable tool for the courts, the Legislature, the Executive Branch and local governments to assess our work and plan for the future of the Nevada judicial system.”

During fiscal year 2011, the Nevada Supreme Court had 2,395 filings, keeping it one of the busiest appellate courts in the United States. The number of filings was an increase of nearly 6 percent from fiscal year 2010 (2,266 filings).

The Supreme Court disposed of 2,220 cases (compared with 2,419 in FY10).  The number of pending cases grew from 1,514 in fiscal year 10 to 1,689 in fiscal year 11, its highest level since fiscal year 2000. 

“During fiscal year 2011, the Supreme Court had to decide several complex tax, election, and ballot issues, which took time away from the resolution of other cases already in the system,” said Chief Justice Saitta.  “Appellate cases in general have become more complex and, coupled with the court’s administrative duties, our ability to resolve cases as quickly as we would like is challenged.  There is, regardless of caseload, a strong commitment by all justices and judges in Nevada to be sure we meet the demand that justice requires.”

Because Nevada has no intermediate Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court must consider all appeals filed and handle a variety of other administrative and legal matters as well. 

FY11 ANNUAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

Statewide, Nevada’s 179 judgeships at the District, Justice, and Municipal Courts received nearly a million cases during fiscal year 2011.  The courts received 409,234 non-traffic cases and 571,156 traffic and parking cases.

Statewide,

At the District Court level,

 At the Justice Court level,

At the Municipal Court level,

BUSIEST COURTS

At the trial courts, judges in Clark County continue to be the busiest.

At the District Court level, the judges in Clark County remained the busiest, but the First Judicial District Court (Carson City and Storey County) edged out the Fourth Judicial District (Elko County) for fourth busiest: (Annual Report p. 26)

The average number of cases per district judge in Nevada was 1,709, a decrease of 119 cases per judge from FY10 (1,828) due largely to the increase in judicial positions for the Eighth and Second Judicial District Courts (Annual Report p. 25). 

At the Justice Court level, the busiest courts were: (Annual Report p. 34)

Statewide, the average non-traffic cases filed per judicial position in Justice Court was 3,256, a decrease from FY10 (3,376) (Annual Report p. 31).

At the Municipal Court level, most of the busiest judges were in Clark County: (Annual Report p. 36)

The average number of non-traffic cases per Municipal Court judge in Nevada was 2,241, a 13 percent increase from the previous fiscal year (1,983) (Annual Report p. 36).

THE WORK OF THE COURTS

In addition to caseload statistics, the Annual Report provides information about the achievements, programs, commissions, and committees of the Nevada Judiciary that do not surface in the statistical reports.

The commissions, such as the Access to Justice Commission, have been created to help improve the efficiency and openness of the courts.  The Judicial Public Information Committee’s successful Law Day Live program is also detailed.

Information is included about the the Foreclosure Mediation Program, as well as the continued success and cost effective use of the Senior Judge Program.

The report also highlights the work of Nevada’s courts, including technological achievements that make the courts more accessible and efficient, court security measures, judicial education to make judges more effective, and the highly successful Specialty Court system.

The annual report additionally provides an overview of the judicial branch structure, funding, and the judicial districts and judges.

APPENDIX

Appendix tables have been posted on the Supreme Court website (www.nevadajudiciary.us) on the Administrative Office of the Courts webpage, click on “Research & Statistics” and then “Documents and Forms.”