Nevada Supreme Court uses court facilities to push creation of court of appeals

The Nevada Supreme Court is using its tax-funded website to agitate for creation of a Nevada Court of Appeals, a proposal rejected by the state’s voters in the past.

The court’s home page has a box reading, in part, “A new study compiled by the Nevada Supreme Court at the behest of the Nevada Legislature demonstrates that the time is right to establish the new court level. Nevada is one of just 11 states that do not have an intermediate appellate court, placing the burden on the Nevada Supreme Court to resolve all appeals. Currently, the seven-member Court must address more than 2,000 matters annually—one of the heaviest caseloads in the nation.”

The creation of a court of appeals would require legislative action, followed by another vote of the public.

The use of public resources to lobby or campaign is a common practice in Nevada. The Washoe Regional Transportation Commission has posted material dealing with an eminent domain initiative petition and Washoe County District Attorney has held news conferences in his official office space to attack a marijuana initiative petition (“Tax funded campaigns,” Oct. 12, 2006).