Editorial: Expanding night court

Monday, Dec. 10, 2007 | 7:07 a.m.

In October District Court judges proposed a $16.6 million plan to accommodate the addition of six judges in 2009, five of whom will be in Family Court.

Looking at an increasingly tight budget, the Clark County Commission asked the judges to rework the plan and look at other options rather than just building more courtrooms. Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani asked the judges to consider expanding Family Court's once-a-month night court program.

The judges presented their revised plan last week with a price tag of $14.4 million. The judges trimmed some planned courthouse renovations, but commissioners are looking for something more.

"We made it clear to them we want to work with them, but we need them to find ways to be more creative," Commission Chairman Rory Reid said.

The revised plan did not address night court. As Tony Cook reported in Friday's Las Vegas Sun, the judges said they needed more time to study the idea of expanding night court, but the reality is that judges and attorneys don't like the idea of working nights.

Considering the downturn in tax revenue, the courts, like the other branches of government, will have to find ways to operate more efficiently. Night court would ease the need to build more courtrooms, and it would provide a valuable public service. By adding night hours, courts would be more accessible.

It might be discomforting to judges to work an occasional night, but the benefit to the bottom line and the community could be tremendous.