Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Trio of judges sworn in for new Nevada appeals court

A trio of judges was sworn in today for the state's newly formed appellate court.

Jerome Tao, Michael Gibbons and Abbi Silver took the oath of office Monday inside the courtroom of the Nevada Supreme Court in Carson City.

The judges were joined by the Supreme Court's panel of seven justices.

Chief Justice James Hardesty, who swore in the judges, said the three “made an extreme sacrifice” in giving up safe seats to join the appeals court and face an election in two years.

“They had nothing to gain,” he said.

The newly formed court, which will be based in Las Vegas, was approved by voters Nov. 4. It lost in many rural counties, but had strong support in populous Clark and Washoe counties. In the past, Nevada voters four times rejected a constitutional amendment to create an appeals court.

The new court aims to reduce a heavy backlog of appellate cases in the state and, eventually, shorten the time that appellate cases are resolved.

Gibbons, who previously served as a district court judge in Douglas County, was picked to serve as chief judge. He'll preside over proceedings at the court and will speak publicly for the court.

Tao and Silver were previously district court judges in Clark County.

The court of appeals on Wednesday will receive its first batch of 167 cases, part of a backlog of more than 1,800 cases the Supreme Court is facing. The judges will begin reviewing the cases for resolution or hearing within the next 90 to 120 days.

The three judges were chosen by Gov. Brian Sandoval from a list of applicants. This week they are being trained about the new court's procedures. ​

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