Work already underway to stand up Nevada Court of Appeals

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014 | 3:18 p.m.

CARSON CITY — The morning after voters approved creating an appeals court in Nevada, more than 100 inquires had been made about applying for the three new judgeships.

The Nevada Court of Appeals, which voters approved Tuesday about 54 to 46 percent, may begin considering cases as early as January.

To meet that timetable, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection began accepting applications today for the open judicial posts and will continue taking them until until 5 p.m. Nov. 12.

The commission will nominate three candidates for each position and make its recommendations to Gov. Brian Sandoval by Dec. 7. The governor will make the final appointments.

“It’s a great day in Nevada for improving the appeals system,” said Supreme Court Justice James Hardesty, who spoke to 120 groups across the state to drum up support for the appeals court.

A spokeswoman for the commission said it had received 111 inquiries via its website this morning about applying for the judgeships.

The three-judge panel will be based in Las Vegas and will handle appeals from the District Court. The money is already budgeted to finance the court and its staff, Hardesty said.

In the past, Nevada voters four times have rejected a constitutional amendment to create an appeals court.

In Tuesday’s elections, the ballot question passed 287,241 to 247,007. The measure lost in many rural counties, but had strong support in populous Clark and Washoe counties.

“Nevadans spoke up for justice today,” Hardesty said.

The names of applicants will be posted to the Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection website daily. The public portion of each application will be posted within a few days following the Nov. 12 closing of the application period.