New courtrooms to open where 30 million legal documents were stored

By Brian Nordli

Published Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 | 10:42 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 | 2:18 p.m.

The Eighth Judicial District Court will open eight new courtrooms at the Regional Justice Center on Thursday converted from rooms that once stored millions of legal documents.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be conducted at noon at the Regional Justice Center. To make space for the courtrooms, 30 million pages of legal documents were converted to electronic files, Eighth Judicial Court spokeswoman Mary Ann Price said in a news release.

The Eighth Judicial District Court, which handles criminal and civil cases, is one of the busiest courts in Nevada, Price said. Six judges were hired in 2009 and nine in 2011 to help with the increasing caseload, bringing the total number of judges to 52. But there weren't enough courtrooms for the expanded staff, Price said.

Some judges were forced to share courtrooms, she said. The additional courtrooms will help make case deposition more efficient, she said.

“These eight new courtrooms are a culmination of years of careful strategic planning, streamlining processes, and maximizing space and efficiency. Many people worked very hard to open these courtrooms without disrupting the business of the court,” District Court Chief Judge Jennifer P. Togliatti said in the release.