Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002 | 9:22 a.m.
Clark County judges, carrying a heavier caseload than others in the state, do a good job of resolving the cases that come through their doors, according to the annual activity report of the Eighth Judicial District Court, released Wednesday.
The county's 30 judges handled an average 2,200 cases apiece last year, compared with Washoe County judges, who handled an average 1,478.
But not all judges put in the same number of hours on trials.
Chief District Judge Mark Gibbons, despite his administrative duties, spent more days in trial than any other judge -- 133.
District Judge Jeffrey Sobel spent the least amount of time in trial, with 13 trials over a period of 32 days.
Following Gibbons were District Judges Sally Loehrer and Lee Gates, who preside over both civil and criminal trials. Loehrer spent 130 days in trial last year, and Gates spent 123.
District Judge Michael Douglas, who handles civil and business cases, spent 121 days in trial. District Judge John McGroarty, who handles only criminal cases, presided over the same number of trials, but spent 56 days in trial.
James Mahan, who was recently appointed to the U.S. District Court, handled more trials than the others. He conducted 43 civil and business trials over 111 days.
District Judge Joseph Bonaventure had the fewest trials -- six criminal cases. One, however, the Margaret Rudin murder trial, lasted 37 days -- tying for the second-longest criminal trial in the county's history, Court Administrator Charles Short said.
The total number of cases opened in Clark County last year was slightly more than 66,000 criminal, civil, family and juvenile cases. More than 62,000 had been initiated the previous year.
Overall, 93 percent of them were resolved through plea agreements, trials, mediation or arbitration.
Whether people are getting divorced, suing someone or pursuing criminal charges against someone, they are getting through the process faster than ever, the study said.
"I'm pleased with the number of criminal cases tried. Both the number of trials and the number of trial days have gone up," Gibbons said.
Between 1993 and 1998, the county's clearance rate hovered between 70 and 80 percent, Short said.
"I'm really pleased with the progress we've made with the clearance rate," Short said.
The picture isn't entirely rosy, however, Short said. The number of complex cases being filed, such as those involving medical malpractice and construction defects, is increasing.
The average number of days judges spent in trial increased from four to 4.4 between 2000 and 2001, and the clearance rate of civil judges fell from 90 percent to 84 percent, records show.
Both are indications that judges are spending more time dealing with the complex issues presented by such cases, Short said.
"Our judges are clearing more cases than any other judge in the state, but the bottom line is they're still not keeping up with the growth," Short said.
While the county will be getting two new judges in 2003, Short said they are trying to address the possible backlog of cases now.
The county is renting downtown office space to conduct the construction defect cases, which can last four or five months, Short said. In addition, visiting and semi-retired judges are hearing civil judges' morning calendars on occasion.
Gibbons said he hopes they will be able to come up with an even more streamlined approach to handle the complex civil cases. A committee has been formed to brainstorm for ideas.
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