Nevada

Supreme Court Justices: 7

Method of Selection: nonpartisan election

Method of Retention: reelection

Length of Term: 6 years

Candidate Fundraising from 2000-2009: $9,848,192 (ranked 8th in the nation.)

Summary:

• Nevada is a major judicial election battleground, although campaign contributions are limited to $5,000. In 2007-2008, state Supreme Court candidate fundraising totaled $3.1 million, ranking 7th nationwide.

• In 2010 voters said no on Question 1,  which would have replaced competitive elections with judicial appointments and retention contests. The ballot question drew national attention, and retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor visited Nevada to support the proposed change, saying, "The whole effort is to keep cash out of the courtroom." 

• The Judicial Selection Commission was called elitist by a newspaper editorial in 2009, but it was defended by retired Chief Justice Bob Rose.  

• In response to Caperton v. Massey, Nevada prompted a review of recusal rules in 2009. It revised judicial conduct rules to require that judges recuse themselves when their “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.”

To Learn More:

• The American Judicature Society's "Judicial Selection in the States" web site has state-specific information on Nevada, including summaries of the state's Campaign Finance rules and Campaign Conduct codes for judicial candidates.
  

• The National Institute on Money in State Politics has detailed information on candidate fundraising on Nevada's 2008 high court election.For data on other state court campaigns, click here.

• "The New Politics of Judicial Elections, 2000-2009" has a profile on Nevada's elections.