Nevada Supreme Court requests new appeals court

The Nevada Supreme Court has asked the Legislature to set in motion a constitutional amendment to create an intermediate state court of appeals.

Chief Justice Deborah Agosti said the new court could reduce the number of cases that reach the state's highest court.

Voters in 1980 and 1992 rejected constitutional amendments to create an intermediate court of appeals. The proposal was revived in 1999, but died in the 2001 Legislature.

Agosti told a joint Assembly and Senate budget committee Tuesday afternoon that voters may have a hard time voting for a new court when appeals are not increasing.

She offered a compromise. Any constitutional amendment proposed should say the Legislature may create the appeals court and not require it.

Agosti would leave it up to the lawmakers to decide when the time was right and whether there is ample money, saying that option "may be more palatable to the citizens."