The Nevada Supreme Court has locations in both Carson City and Las Vegas. The Carson City location is at:

201 S. Carson Street, Suite 201
Carson City, NV 89701

The Carson City location’s phone number is (775) 684-1600. And its operating hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for holidays.

201 S. Carson St. also houses the Nevada Court of Appeals (the state’s intermediary court).

In this article, our Las Vegas Nevada criminal defense attorneys discuss the Carson City location of Nevada’s Supreme Court, including its:

• 1. Jurisdiction
• 2. Size
• 3. Function
• 4. Nevada Court of Appeals
• 5. Other activities

Also see our information page on Nevada’s Supreme Court building in Las Vegas.

1. Jurisdiction of the Nevada Supreme Court

2. Size of the the Nevada Supreme Court

Nevada’s highest court currently has seven justices, who are elected to six-year terms. The most senior justice serves as the “chief justice” for two years. If there are ever vacancies, the Nevada governor appoints a replacement.

Only a select number of cases are heard by all seven justices at once (“en banc”). Most are decided by three-justice panels: One panel is in Carson City and the other is in Las Vegas.

3. Function of the Nevada Supreme Court

The courtroom at 201 S. Carson Street does not house trials; rather, the justices there review whether the district court judges committed any legal errors during their trials.

The parties to an appeal (the appellant and the respondent) write long documents called “briefs” arguing why the justices should or should not overturn the trial judge’s decision. In some cases, the justices decide the case just by reading the briefs. In other cases, they also hold thirty-minute “oral arguments” where each side elaborates on their brief and takes questions from the justices.

After reviewing the appeal, the justices can either:

• affirm a decision, which means the justices agree with the trial judge ruling;
• modify a decision, which means the justices partially agree with the trial judge ruling but make some changes; or
• reverse the decision, which means the justices overturn the trial judge ruling

If the justices decide to modify or reverse a decision, they “remand” the case down back to the trial judge to fix the issue in accordance with the justices’ instructions.

4. Nevada Court of Appeals

About a third of all cases appealed to Nevada’s highest court are deflected to the intermediary court, called the Nevada Court of Appeals. It is a three-judge court, and they hear cases in both the Carson City and Las Vegas locations of the state supreme court.

The Nevada Court of Appeals usually hears “busywork” cases that are not precedent-making. Parties to a case decided in the Nevada Court of Appeals can try to appeal again up to the Nevada Supreme Court. But the justices have the discretion not to hear the appeal.

5. Other activities in the Carson City location of the Nevada Supreme Court

In addition to housing courtrooms and chambers for the justices, 201 S. Carson St. also hosts various judicial activities, including:

• The Court Improvement Program (CIP), which helps improve the handling of child welfare cases;
• The Judicial Council, which helps improve the judicial system in such areas as technology and court administration;
• The Judicial Education Unit, which provides continuing education and training;
• The Foreclosure Mediation Program, an initiative instituted as a result of the mortgage crisis;
• The Guardianship Compliance Office (GCO), which helps judicial districts provide guardianship services;
• The Settlement Overview Program, a mediation program to help cases settle without litigation;
• The Specialty Program, which helps establish policies for the many specialty courts throughout Nevada; and
• The Interpreter Program, which helps ensure that all eligible parties and witnesses are supplied with translators

Call a Nevada criminal defense attorney…

Are you considering appealing your case to the Supreme Court in Nevada? Then call our Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys right away. There is a very short window in which you can file an appeal, and you do not want to miss it. We can discuss your case and options during an initial FREE consultation.

Then if you decide to move forward, our experienced appellate attorneys will compose a compelling brief arguing why the justices should reverse your case. And if necessary, we are ready to fight for your case in person during oral arguments in Carson City or Las Vegas.

If you or a loved one has just been arrested, we also offer free consultations on how to fight your case so that hopefully there will be no need to appeal. Depending on the situation, we may be able to persuade the D.A. to reduced your charges or even dismiss them altogether. And if necessary, we can take your matter to trial in pursuit of a “not guilty” verdict.