FACT BRIEFAre all Nevada judges legally required to have law degrees?
No.
Nevada does not require all judges in the state to have law degrees.
Most Nevada judges must have a legal education under state law, but there are two exceptions: municipal court judges and justices of the peace in counties with populations under 100,000, said Eve Hanan, a law professor at UNLV. All but Clark and Washoe counties fall below that population threshold.
Lower-level court judges in Nevada are not legally required to have law degrees. Other requirements include being a state citizen and qualified elector, and having never been removed or retired from judicial office.
Justices of the peace in smaller counties who are not licensed attorneys must also pass a Nevada Supreme Court exam within 18 months of taking office.
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Sources
- UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law Email exchange with Eve Hanan, professor of law at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law
- Nevada Revised Statutes 5.020 (Municipal judges)
- Nevada Revised Statutes NRS 4.010 (Qualifications of justice of the peace)
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