Nevada Case Law

The Nevada state court system is divided into three levels. The highest court in Nevada is the Nevada Supreme Court, which consists of seven judges. The Supreme Court reviews appeals of decisions by the Nevada Court of Appeals. It also may review appeals of decisions by trial courts in some situations. Decisions by the Nevada Supreme Court are final unless the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to review an appeal of a decision.

The middle level of the Nevada state court system is the Nevada Court of Appeals, which consists of three judges. The Court of Appeals reviews appeals of decisions by trial courts that are assigned to it by the Supreme Court. Thus, all appeals initially go to the Supreme Court before being distributed between that court and the Court of Appeals.

The lowest level of the Nevada state court system consists of the Nevada District Courts, the Nevada Justice Courts, and the Nevada Municipal Courts. The District Courts are trial courts with general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. These courts also review appeals of decisions by Justice Courts and Municipal Courts. The jurisdiction of the Justice Courts is limited to certain types of cases. These include misdemeanors, traffic violations, evictions, and civil matters with less than $10,000 at issue. The Municipal Courts review cases that involve traffic violations and violations of city ordinances.

The District Courts in Washoe and Clark Counties each contain a Family Division. This division reviews cases related to divorce, child custody, adoption, and other family law matters.