(a)Selection and term(1) The justices of the peace must biennially select a chief judge for a term of 2 years. A justice of the peace may not serve as chief judge for more than two full consecutive terms.(2) The election shall take place in November of an election year at a duly noticed meeting with the related agenda item clearly listed, or at such other convenient time at a duly noticed meeting with the related agenda item clearly listed as a majority of the justices of the peace may agree. The chief judge shall be elected by secret ballot and by majority vote of the justices of the peace who are present in person or by proxy. The votes shall be tabulated by the court administrator or his or her designee. In the event of a tie: (A) The candidate who has the most years of service as a justice of the peace for the Las Vegas Justice Court shall prevail; and(B) If multiple candidates are tied with the most years of service, the judge who has the most years of licensure as an attorney in the State of Nevada shall prevail. The chief judge who is elected shall begin to serve on January 1 of the next year.
(3) At the time of the election, any incumbent justice of the peace who will not be returning to office the next year because of retirement, resignation, failure to be reelected, or other reason shall not be eligible to vote in the election for chief judge. Any person who has been:(A) Declared elected during the primary election of an election year; or(B) Elected to take office as justice of the peace in the year following the general election, shall be eligible to vote in the election for chief judge.(4) In the event that the chiefjudge retires, resigns, or is prohibited from completing his or her term of office, a majority of the justices of the peace shall elect a successor by the process described in subsection (a)(2) above. The successor will serve for the balance of the term.(b) Duties and responsibilities. The chief judge must: (1) Be responsible for the chief judge's own administrative calendar, which shall include resolution of judicial disqualification motions pursuant to NRS 1.235.(2) Consider and rule on any applications for orders in cases that have not been assigned.(3) Make regular and special assignments of judges, including committee work and special court projects, with such assignments apportioned in an equitable manner.(4) Consider or reassign emergency matters when a judge is absent or otherwise unavailable.(5) Supervise the court administrator/deputy clerk.(6) Supervise the administrative business of the court and have general oversight and mentorship availability for referees, justices of the peace pro tempore, and any other quasi-judicial officers who are independent contractors of the court. (7) Consult with the court administrator who shall have general supervision and disciplinary authority over attorneys who are employed by the court as hearing masters, quasi-judicial officers, or staff attorneys.(8) Coordinate regular training sessions, including training in judicial ethics, for referees, justices of the peace pro tempore, and hearing masters.(9) Assure quality and continuity of services necessary to the operation of the court.(10) Be responsible for the administration of court rules and administrative orders.(11) Attend meetings as a representative of the Las Vegas Justice Court.(12) Determine the need for and approve:(A) The allocation of space and furnishings for the court;(B) The construction or modification of court buildings, courtrooms, and related physical facilities; and(C) The temporary assignment or reassignment of courtrooms between departments to accommodate the needs of litigants, and efficient and effective case management.(13) Supervise the court's calendar, apportion the business of the court among the departments of the court as equitably as possible, and resolve any procedural/policy disputes between the court departments. (14) Reassign cases or categories of cases between departments as necessary.(15) Appoint standing and special committees of judges and/or court staff as may be advisable to assist in the proper performance of the duties and functions of the court.(16) Act as a liaison between the court and other governmental and civic agencies and, when appropriate, meet with or designate a judge or judges to meet with any committee of the bench, bar, news media, and community to review problems and to promote understanding of the administration of justice.(17) Set and preside over frequent and regular meetings of the judges at least quarterly and additional special or closed meetings as may be required by the business of the court, distribute to all judges an agenda before the meeting, and prepare minutes thereafter. If a quorum of judges is not present at a regularly scheduled or specially scheduled judges' meeting, the chief judge shall have the authority to mandate attendance at the next regularly scheduled judges' meeting. As used in this subsection, a "quorum" shall consist of a majority of the justices of the peace attending a meeting, either in person or by proxy.(c)Discretionary actions. The chief judge may: (1) Appoint a presiding civil judge and/or a presiding criminal judge who serves at the pleasure of the chief judge.(2) Appoint a vice-chief judge who serves at the pleasure of the chief judge.(3) Designate another judge to perform the chief judge's duties or presiding judge's duties when necessary because of absence or unavailability.(d)Removal as chief judge. The chief judge may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the total number of judges of the court at a meeting. The meeting shall be duly noticed with the related agenda item clearly listed. Votes may be cast either in person or by proxy. The votes shall be tabulated by the court administrator or his or her designee.(e)Reversal of a chief-judge decision. A decision by the chief judge may be reversed by a two-thirds vote of the judges who are present, either in person or by proxy, at a meeting that shall be duly noticed with the related agenda item clearly listed. The votes shall be tabulated by the court administrator or his or her designee.(f)Limit on expenditures. Except as provided in subsection (g), the chief judge shall not approve or modify an annual court expenditure in excess of $250,000 without the consent of the majority of the justices of the peace. As used in this subsection, an "annual court expenditure" is defined to include an expenditure that occurs once in a one-year period or an expenditure that is cumulated over a one-year period.(g)Exception regarding expenditures. If a multi-year contract has been approved as provided in subsection (f), no subsequent annual reviews during the period of the contract shall be necessary.Nev. R. Prac. Justice. Ct. Las. Veg. Tow. 6.5
Added; effective 8/11/2010; amended effective 3/8/2019.