Supreme Court asks for two additional district judges for First and Tenth Judicial Districts

Chief Justice Douglas Herndon told the Assembly Ways and Means Committee that the judiciary seeks funding to add two district court judges: one more for the First Judicial District (Carson City/Story County) and one for the Tenth Judicial District (Churchill County).

Herndon described caseload disparities across Nevada districts, saying most districts have fewer than 1,000 cases per judge while the affected districts approach 1,400'1,700 cases per judge in recent counts. He said specialty court calendars such as drug, mental-health and DUI courts increase judges' calendars and create an administrative burden that can warrant additional judges.

John McCormick, assistant court administrator, summarized the revised fiscal note: six months of salary and benefits for new judges in FY27 estimated at $322,902 and future biennial cost of about $1.2 million; an additional $13,344 was noted for mandatory judicial training as required by cited statutes and administrative dockets. McCormick characterized county fiscal notes on the original bill as moot given the amendment that narrowed the request to the two districts.

Representatives from the First Judicial District (Maxine Cortez, court administrator) said Carson City and Story County had discussed and committed to help with staffing and infrastructure; Cortez said the district built a courtroom in 2015 in anticipation of an additional judge and was ready to proceed. Churchill County representatives and others indicated local planning, including a planned courthouse project in Churchill County.

The Department of Public Safety Division of Parole and Probation submitted a fiscal note for additional specialists tied to increased court calendars; Captain Shannon Serena told the committee that the division's estimate assumed corresponding increases in workload and staffing in response to more judges and more court days and that 70% of the specialist costs would be reimbursed by counties. Serena said the fiscal note provided reflected the amended bill but offered to follow up with a written update.

Herndon also discussed administrative steps the Supreme Court is taking around a proposed business court pilot, saying administrative dockets and internal reforms aim to reduce the need for larger structural changes while the judiciary addresses immediate district needs.

Multiple local officials and associations, including Carson City and Story County representatives and the Nevada District Judges Association, testified in support of AB 66. The hearing closed with committee questions but no vote recorded on the legislation during the session.