LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada's judicial system is asking for more judges in rural and urban Nevada to keep up with a growing population and tackle a backlog of thousands of cases here in Clark County.
Chief Judge Jerry Wiese of Clark County's Eighth Judicial District Court told lawmakers Tuesday that 18 new judges are needed — 10 for the civil and criminal bench and eight more for Family Court.
He was testifying in support of Assembly Bill 66, which would add 25 judges across the state. The bill would also adopt a formula that would automatically expand the bench when the population in fast-growing Clark or Washoe counties go up.
But the measure ran into opposition from a lobbyist for Clark County, which has to bear some of the costs whenever new judges are hired.
Currently there are 58 judges in the Eighth District, which encompasses Clark County; 32 handle civil and criminal cases, while the remaining 26 handle Family Court matters. In addition, there are 18 hearing masters who preside over matters that don't require an elected judge.
Wiese told members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee that there were huge backlogs of cases in Clark County. At the end of 2024, there were more than 4,400 criminal matters, more than 35,700 civil cases and more than 9,700 Family Court cases pending, he said.
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Nevada Supreme Court Justice Lydia Stiglich said Nevada's growth was behind the increase in legal matters.
"We're up to 3.26 million [people] now, we're still growing, and anticipate as more people come here to live, work, play and start businesses, the judiciary is going to have to grow to meet those needs," she said.
But Clark County lobbyist Jeff Rogan testified against the bill, saying population doesn't necessarily equal more cases. He also objected to the ongoing costs of the bill.
"Population of a county does not correspond to an increase in judicial workload as Judge Wiese testified," Rogan said. "We don't really know why filings go up and filings go down. An automatic increase [in the number of judges] also removes your authority to decide whether the number of judges should increase and obligates the Legislature and the county to provide for these new judges in the future."
Indeed, Wiese testified that the four county court facilities — including the massive Regional Justice Center downtown — are currently full, and adding new judges would require Clark County to build more courtroom space. And adding judges will also require hiring more court clerks, law clerks, court officers and administrative personnel, too, the costs of which would fall on Clark County.
But he defended the bill, saying a study conducted by the courts showed more judges were needed and that jurists were working efficiently now.
"We are not asking for additional judges so we have less work to do," he said. "All of us will continue to work 40 hour weeks, or more. The ask is to give us additional judges so that we can provide better access to justice for the people in our communities."
The committee did not take a vote on the bill at its hearing Tuesday. Lawmakers have until April 11 to pass bills out of committee, or they are considered dead for the remainder of the 120-day session.
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