Nevada Case Law Research Guide

This guide helps you learn how to find Nevada court decisions, especially from the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. It shows how to find these decisions in books and online. Not all decisions are published in print, but you can still find some online. It also explains that trial court decisions are not as easy to find because they only affect the people in the case, while appellate court decisions affect everyone and are published more. For more details on Nevada case law, check out the Nevada Primary Sources guide.

The purpose of this guide is to offer methods and strategies for researching Nevada judicial opinions, specifically opinions issued by the Supreme Court of Nevada and Nevada Court of Appeals. For simplicity, this guide will use the words opinions, case law, and decisions interchangeably. This guide describes how to perform case law research in print as well as online from free and fee-based sources. We also discuss the availability of unpublished (also known as unreported) opinions. This guide focuses on HOW to research Nevada case law. For a more descriptive guide of Nevada case law publication, check out the Nevada Primary Sources guide.

Recent Supreme Court of Nevada and Court of Appeals Advance Opinions are available online at:

The Nevada Judicial system is one of the three parts of the state government. Nevada courts help understand laws and make sure the other parts of government (the Executive and Legislative branches) are fair. The chart below shows how Nevada's courts are organized, what kinds of cases they can handle, and how people can appeal decisions.

Need help locating a Nevada court? 

The following is a sample case citation for a Nevada Supreme Court opinion as published in the Nevada Reports (Nev.) and the Pacific Reporter (P.3d).

The parts of the citation are in different colors to help illustrate the different parts of a citation.

Not all orders/opinions issued by the Nevada Appellate Courts are "published." 

(c) Form of Decision. The Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decide cases by either published or unpublished disposition.

(1) A published disposition is an opinion designated for publication in the Nevada Reports. The Supreme Court or Court of Appeals will decide a case by published opinion if it:

(A) Presents an issue of first impression;

(B) Alters, modifies, or significantly clarifies a rule of law previously announced by either the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals; or

(C) Involves an issue of public importance that has application beyond the parties.

(2) An unpublished disposition, while publicly available, does not establish mandatory precedent except in a subsequent stage of a case in which the unpublished disposition was entered, in a related case, or in any case for purposes of issue or claim preclusion or to establish law of the case.

(3) A party may cite for its persuasive value, if any, an unpublished disposition issued by the Supreme Court on or after January 1, 2016, or by the Court of Appeals on or after August 15, 2024. When citing such an unpublished disposition, the party must cite an electronic database, if available, and the docket number and date filed in the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals (with the notation “unpublished disposition”). A party citing such an unpublished disposition must serve a copy of it on any party not represented by counsel.

Availability of Trial Court Opinions

There are no print sources for trial-level opinions or orders from Nevada's trial courts. However, some opinions may be available online through platforms like Westlaw or Lexis, particularly for Washoe County and Clark County.

Why Are Trial Court Opinions Less Accessible?

Trial court orders resolve disputes between two specific parties:

• The plaintiff, who claims to have suffered an injury (emotional, physical, or financial), and
• The defendant, who is accused of causing the injury.

The decision made by the trial court judge, as detailed in the written order, is binding only on the involved parties. It does not establish precedent or create law for anyone else.

These orders may result from:

• A jury determining facts in favor of one party,
• A judge applying the law to the facts, or
• A general factual determination by the judge.

The Appeal Process

If the party that "loses" at the trial court level chooses to appeal, they become the appellant, while the "winner" becomes the respondent (or appellee).

Appellate courts focus on contested issues of law rather than issues of fact. They do not retry cases; appellate courts don’t hear new evidence, have juries, or act as a "second trial." Instead, they address legal questions that affect broader interpretations of Nevada law.

Importance of Appellate Opinions

While trial court decisions are case-specific, appellate opinions from Nevada's two appellate courts—the Nevada Supreme Court and the Nevada Court of Appeals—have a broader impact. These courts interpret and apply Nevada law, setting legal precedents that all Nevada citizens can rely on.

This is why appellate court opinions are widely published and accessible, whereas trial-level decisions are not.