By Chief Judge Melisa De La Garza and Charles A. Mapp, Sr.
In February, the Justice Court, Las Vegas Township, implemented a new “One Judge/One Defendant” criminal case assignment process. The system aims to streamline case management and improve judicial efficiency.
The new process employs a computer program designed to determine whether a defendant has a prior connection to an existing criminal case. If a prior connection is established, the new case will be assigned to the same judge overseeing the existing case. This approach ensures continuity and consistency in the handling of criminal cases involving the same defendant.
Key Rules for the One Judge/One Defendant process:
- Determination of prior connection: The computer program assesses whether the defendant has a prior connection to an existing criminal case in the justice court. A prior connection is established when:
- An active, lower-numbered criminal case, including cases where a criminal complaint has not been filed, is pending against the defendant or co-defendant.
- The defendant has not satisfied all conditions of a sentence, and the case has ongoing post-adjudication status checks or an active warrant.
- The defendant is charged, and the charge arises from the same criminal transaction that is the basis of a citation/criminal complaint previously filed against the defendant or co-defendant.
- Case assignment: If a prior connection exists, the new case is assigned to the court with the prior connection. If multiple prior connections exist, the new case is assigned to the court with the lowest case number.
- Superseding cases: Domestic violence and/or DUI case assignments supersede prior connections.
- Exclusion of traffic cases: Traffic case types are excluded from this process and are randomly assigned, regardless of prior connections.
- Administrative reassignment: If a case is assigned to a department in error, it is administratively reassigned to the appropriate department, in accordance with established administrative orders and/or these rules.
Although it has only been a couple of months, the court is starting to see definite improvement in efficiency for all parties. A defense attorney handles all of their client’s cases, giving the attorney a better overall picture of their client’s situation. A prosecutor is able to evaluate the defendant’s overall impact on the community. Even the Clark County Detention Center receives the benefit of transporting fewer inmates between courtrooms each morning. More importantly, the decision-maker, the judge, has the “whole” defendant before him/her in that the judge is presiding over all of the defendant’s open cases in the justice court.
The initiative underscores the justice court’s commitment to enhancing the judicial process and ensuring that justice is administered timely, efficiently, and fairly.
About the authors
Judge Melisa De La Garza is honored to become the Chief Judge of the busiest court in Clark County. Las Vegas Justice Court had over 45,000 criminal case filings, and nearly 100,000 civil case filings, for fiscal year 2023. In addition, the court handled an additional 126,000 traffic matters. The court has nine specialty courts, including drug court, mental health court, veterans’ court, and DUI court. Judge De La Garza shares a bench with 15 other justices of the peace, three hearing masters, and over 300 staff. She will continue to preside over the community court specialty court as she oversees her duties as the chief judge.
Charles A. Mapp, Sr., is currently serving as the interim court administrator for the justice court.
About the article
This article was originally published in the Communiqué (May 2025), the official publication of the Clark County Bar Association. See https://clarkcountybar.org/about/member-benefits/communique-2025/communique-may-2025/. The printed magazine was mailed to CCBA members on April 30, 2025.
The articles and advertisements appearing in Communiqué magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the CCBA, the CCBA Publications Committee, the editorial board, or the other authors. All legal and other issues discussed are not for the purpose of answering specific legal questions. Attorneys and others are strongly advised to independently research all issues.
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