Bill > SJR2

This joint resolution proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to modify the election process for incumbent justices and judges who are running unopposed. Specifically, when an incumbent justice of the Supreme Court, a judge of the Court of Appeals, or a district judge seeks re-election without any opposing candidates, the ballot will no longer list the incumbent as the sole candidate. Instead, voters will be presented with a binary choice to either "Retain" or "Not Retain" the incumbent in their current judicial position. This change applies to justices of the Supreme Court (Section 3), judges of the Court of Appeals (Section 3A), and district judges (Section 5). The resolution aims to provide voters with a more direct method of evaluating an incumbent judge's performance, allowing them to explicitly approve or disapprove of the judge's continued service, rather than automatically re-electing an uncontested candidate. The resolution will become effective upon its passage, potentially changing how judicial elections are conducted in Nevada by introducing a retention vote mechanism for unopposed judicial candidates.

Government Affairs

https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025/Bill/11970/Overview