Nevada Primary Sources

The Nevada Reports is a book that has important decisions from Nevada’s higher courts. There is also another book called the Pacific Reporter, but it's not the official one. Both books are available at the Law Library, along with some recent opinions that haven’t been published in the final volumes yet. For cases before 1883, only the Nevada Reports are available. You can find some Nevada cases online using Google Scholar or the Free Case Law Project, but not all cases are easy to find. Unpublished cases aren’t usually used as official examples, but they can still be helpful in certain situations.

The following flow chart illustrates the publication process of Nevada Appellate Court opinions:

Advance Opinion:

• Typically issued on Thursdays on the Supreme Court's website. It is possible for no opinions to be issued in any given week.
• Most Supreme Court and Court of Appeals cases are decided by "Unpublished Orders," which may be released on any day.
• The Law Library retains a collection of advance opinions in print until they are published in a volume of the Nevada Reports.

Advance Sheets:

• These are a compilation of advance opinions for a specific volume of the Nevada Reports.
• Advance sheets are not finalized, and therefore are not official, and the text of opinions may still be changed by the Appellate Courts.
  • Changes made are typically grammatical, or they address spelling or citation errors identified since the publication of the advance opinion - the substance of the opinion does not change.

Nevada Reports:

• The official publication of judicial opinions by the Nevada Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.
• Judicial opinions published in the Nevada Reports are also published unofficially in the Pacific Reporter (from Thomson Reuters West).

Unfortunately, there is not a comprehensive and free source on the Internet to research Nevada appellate case law. However, the following two free sites are a good place to start:

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 The Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decide cases by either published or unpublished disposition.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.

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.