And it Begins – Judicial Offices Open for Filing January 2

Qualifications to run for a Supreme Court office include being a resident of Nevada for at least two years, being a qualified elector, being at least 25 years of age, being an attorney licensed and admitted to practice law for not less than 15 years with at least two of those being in Nevada. To qualify for a District Court seat, the candidate must meet the above qualifications except being licensed to practice law for at least ten years, with two of those being in Nevada.

Justice Court candidates, Justice of the Peace, must have lived in Nevada for six months and the community in which they will vote for 30 days preceding the election, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and if the community has a population of over 100,000 be a licensed attorney for at least five years. In a community with a population of less than 100,000, the Justice of the Peace is not required to have a law degree or be an attorney. 

Municipal Court Judges must be residents of the city where they will be running for at least one year and meet all the qualifications set by the municipality where they seek office.

According to CANON 4 of the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct, a judge or candidate for judicial office shall not be engaged in political or campaign activity inconsistent with the judiciary's independence, integrity, or impartiality.

To provide objective, non-partisan information about judicial candidates, there is a new requirement this election cycle, under SB418, passed by the 2023 Nevada Legislature, that requires all non-incumbent judicial candidates to complete a questionnaire that will be posted on the Secretary of State’s website. The questionnaire provides information about the judicial candidate to the voters and can be found at nvsos.gov/sos/elections/election-information/2024-election-information/2024-judicial-candidate-questionnaires on the elections page of the Secretary of State’s website.

Tune in next week for an update regarding Nevada’s Presidential Preference Primary on February 6 and the Republican Caucus scheduled for February 8. Anyone wishing to vote in the Republican Caucus must be registered with the Churchill County Clerk or online at nvsos.gov/SOSVoterServices/start.aspx on the Nevada Secretary of State website by January 9, 2024.