Nevada Supreme Court justice vacancy (September 2022)
| Nevada Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Silver vacancy |
| Date: September 29, 2022 |
| Status: Retirement scheduled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Patricia Lee |
| Date: November 21, 2022 |
Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) appointed Patricia Lee to the Nevada Supreme Court on November 21, 2022, to replace Justice Abbi Silver.[1] Justice Silver retired on September 29, 2022, "due to unforeseen circumstances and to spend more time with [her] family."[2] Patricia Lee is Governor Steve Sisolak's (D) first nominee to the seven-member supreme court.
At the time of the vacancy under Nevada law, midterm vacancies were filled by the governor using a nominating commission's list. Click here to learn more about the selection process.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Nevada Supreme Court vacancy:
- A list of candidates who applied to the vacancy.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2022.
The appointee
- See also: Patricia Lee
Patricia Lee received a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and a law degree from George Washington University Law School in 2002. Prior to her appointment, Lee was a partner at Hutchison and Steffen since 2002.[1]
Applicants
Six individuals filed for the supreme court position:[3]
- Scott N. Freeman, judge
- Tierra Jones, judge
- Heidi Stern, Solicitor General
- Patricia Lee, lawyer
- Emily McFarling, lawyer
- Richard Pocker, lawyer
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Nevada
The seven justices of the Nevada Supreme Court are elected to six-year terms in nonpartisan elections. When their terms expire, justices must run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court.[4]
Qualifications
To serve on the Nevada Supreme Court, a person must:
- be at least 25 years old;
- be licensed and admitted to practice law in Nevada, and have been licensed and admitted to practice law in the United States for at least 15 years, including at least two years in Nevada;
- be a qualified elector; and
- have been a state resident for at least two years preceding the election[5]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is chosen according to seniority. According to state law, if there are two or more eligible justices, the chief justice is determined by lot.[6] Alternatively, the internal operating procedures of the supreme court allow the possibility of an agreement between eligible justices.[7] According to the Administrative Office of the Courts in Nevada, often the eligible members of the court will agree to a lesser term as chief justice if there are multiple eligible justices in the last two years of their terms who want to serve in that capacity. Such agreements have been memorialized by a court order or other official document filed with the clerk.[8]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Selection solicits and screens applicants. The commission presents a list of three nominees to the governor, who appoints one to fill the vacancy until the next general election. If the predecessor's term is not expiring that election cycle, the appointed justice must win the election to the court to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.[9]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Nevada Supreme Court
Justices
Following Silver's retirement, the Nevada Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Douglas Herndon | Elected | |
| ■ Elissa Cadish | Elected | |
| ■ James Hardesty | Elected | |
| ■ Kris Pickering | Elected | |
| ■ Ron Parraguirre | Elected | |
| ■ Lidia Stiglich | Appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) in 2016 |
About the court
| Nevada Supreme Court |
|---|
|
| Court Information |
| Justices: 7 |
| Founded: 1864 |
| Location: Carson City and Las Vegas |
| Salary |
| Associates: $170,000[10] |
| Judicial Selection |
| Method: Nonpartisan election |
| Term: 6 years |
| Active justices |
| Linda M. Bell, Elissa Cadish, Douglas Herndon, Patricia Lee, Ron Parraguirre, Kris Pickering, Lidia Stiglich |
Founded in 1864, the Nevada Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Douglas Herndon.
As of January 2023, five judges on the court were elected in nonpartisan elections, one judge was appointed by a Republican governor, and another judge was appointed by a Democratic governor.
The Nevada Supreme Court has locations in Carson City, Nevada, and Las Vegas, Nevada.[11]
About Justice Silver
- See also: Abbi Silver
Justice Silver joined the Nevada Supreme Court in 2019. She was elected to the court on November 6, 2018.
Before serving on the state supreme court, Silver served on the Nevada Court of Appeals from 2014 to 2018.
Silver earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1986 and a J.D. from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California, in 1989.[12]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2022
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2022
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2022. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nevada Courts, "Patricia Lee Appointed to the Nevada Supreme Court, Seat F," November 21, 2022
- ↑ Twitter, "@GovSisolak," August 26, 2022
- ↑ Nevada Appeal Capitol Bureau, "6 file for open Nevada Supreme Court seat," October 11, 2022
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Nevada | Selection of Judges," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ Nevada Legislature, " NRS 2.020 Qualifications," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ Nevada Legislature, "NRS 2.030 Election; Chief Justice," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ Nevada Judiciary, "Nevada Supreme Court: Internal Operating Procedures," May 20, 2021
- ↑ This information was provided to Ballotpedia in an email from the Administrative Office of the Courts in Nevada.
- ↑ Administrative Office of the Courts, "FACTS and FAQs," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ The salary of the chief justice may be higher than an associate justice.
- ↑ Administrative Office of the Court, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ Supreme Court of Nevada, "Justice Abbi Silver," archived August 28, 2022
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Nevada • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Nevada
State courts:
Nevada Supreme Court • Nevada Court of Appeals • Nevada District Courts • Nevada Justice Courts • Nevada Municipal Courts • Clark County Family Court, Nevada
State resources:
Courts in Nevada • Nevada judicial elections • Judicial selection in Nevada
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