By Chief Judge Jerry Wiese
The most important “Eighth Judicial District Court-related” bill presented to the 2025 legislature, was AB66, which would have accomplished two things: 1) provide Clark County with an additional 18 District Court Judges; and 2) implement a framework whereby the need and funding prioritization for future judges would be determined by a combination of population growth and weighted case load. Unfortunately, the bill received little support and it died in committee.
It’s ironic that our current system in Nevada requires elected judges to engage in the executive and legislative political process to advance access to justice. From my perspective, Nevada should adopt a public policy of advancing courts to meet the needs of its citizens based on metrics, not winds of change and favors. Our citizens deserve better. The National Center for State Courts provides these metrics, balances all aspects of filings that impact the court system, and appears to treat all courts similarly across the country. Our court completed an internal “Delphi” study in 2024, which updated a 2005 study, and demonstrated that this court needed 18 new judges. The court has retained the National Center for State Courts to perform a full weighted case-load study this year. This type of study is the national “gold standard” in determining judicial need.
The question everyone asks is, “where would the court put an additional 18 judges?” The answer is simple, we need a new courthouse. Again, this question is not a new one. A January 12, 2006, article in the Las Vegas Sun titled “48 more judges needed in 20 years” discussed the exact same needs for judges and a courthouse. The Eighth Judicial District Court has requested a new courthouse during each Clark County budget cycle since 2010. Based upon meetings with county commissioners and county management, there appears to be some hope that Clark County is considering the idea of adding a facility to provide us with additional courtroom space.
As judges, we do our best to be prepared for each calendar, having read every pleading, reviewed the relevant law, and having spent time analyzing how the law applies to the facts. We do our best to make correct “spur of the moment” decisions during trials. We do our best to make ourselves available for settlement conferences to help our colleagues reduce their case loads. Unfortunately, with the limited resources we have, and the high case loads carried by each of our judges, it is sometimes difficult to accomplish all that we need to accomplish. Even if we work a 50 or 60 hour week, sometimes we are not able to process as many cases as we would like. Most if not all of our judges take work home at night, and spend more than 40 hours per week, trying to provide the best service we can to the community. Orders are being signed early in the mornings, late at nights, on weekends, and on holidays. The issue of limited resources is certainly not a new dilemma that we, as judges, face on a daily basis.
The court will continue to do the best we can with the resources that we have. The models to evaluate judicial need indicate that we need additional judges, and we’ve known for two decades that a new building is necessary to house them. Hopefully, by the time the legislature meets again, the bar, Clark County, and the legislature can appreciate and prioritize these needs, and properly fund and support the judiciary.
About the author
Chief Judge Jerry Wiese serves in Department 30 of the Eighth Judicial District Court bench. Since taking the bench, in January of 2011, Judge Wiese has presided over numerous trials, both civil and criminal, and has presided over many settlement conferences. He coordinates the Judicial Settlement Conference Program. He was elected Chief Judge by his peers and has served as the Chief Judge of the District Court since July 2022.
About the article
This article was originally published in the Communiqué (Sep. 2025), the official publication of the Clark County Bar Association. See https://clarkcountybar.org/about/member-benefits/communique-2025/communique-sep-2025/. The printed magazine will be mailed to CCBA members in the last week of August 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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