Editorial: Meaty reforms for Family Court

In four public hearings, the subcommittee has heard from judges, attorneys, court administrators, child advocates, litigants and experts on family law and juvenile justice.

The main concerns and problem areas expressed in the hearings paralleled what a Las Vegas Sun investigation of Family Court found in January 1997:

* Decisions and rulings are not consistent, varying from courtroom to courtroom.

* Judges' egos and turf battles make real reform difficult.

* Caseloads are overwhelming judges and staff.

* Cases are not tracked in an efficient manner.

* The role of the Family Mediation and Assessment Center, which is severely understaffed, has been questioned. Some say judges rely solely on FMAC's opinion; others say the report is ignored. Even FMAC admits there is not enough staff or time to fully examine cases.

The legislative subcommittee, even if its recommendations are approved by the full Legislature, can't resolve all these issues by enacting laws. But it can pave the way for reforms by recommending a chief judge and by not supporting a rotation system.

Strong arguments were presented at the hearings for the appointment of a chief judge who would keep the other judges in line and on task. A chief judge could trouble-shoot problems.

This would be the first step to any meaningful reform.

The subcommittee also heard arguments for and against rotating judges in and out of Family Court to prevent burnout. There is merit to such a system. But wouldn't that defeat the purpose of why a Family Court division was created in the first place?

Family Court judges need breaks from time to time. That can be accomplished other ways. A judge or two can be brought in to handle minor cases. No judge should come in the middle of a complicated case and expect to get up to speed in a timely manner.

The Legislature can't resolve all the Family Court issues brought out during the hearings, but it can send a strong message that the court itself needs to enact meaningful reforms and institute more efficient procedures.

Before any of that can be accomplished, however, judicial egos and turf battles must end.

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