SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
by Sean Whaley – Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada Supreme Court Justice Ron Parraguirre will take over as the new chief justice of the seven-member court in 2010.
The chief justice is the administrative head of the judicial branch and the public voice of the Supreme Court. The chief justice also oversees the direction of the judiciary’s activities. A majority vote of the full court, however, is required to take any major action.
Parraguirre takes over from Chief Justice James Hardesty, who served as the court’s liaison to the Nevada Legislature during the 2009 session. Hardesty won approval from the Legislature for nine new district court judges in Clark County and one in Washoe County. The cost of the new jurists will be paid for through fees rather than general fund dollars.
Hardesty also was instrumental in implementing a Foreclosure Mediation Program, at no cost to taxpayers, to assist Nevada homeowners deal with the foreclosure crisis.
“In today’s hard economic times, the court has managed to keep the wheels of justice turning and the doors open for business,” Hardesty said. “In addition to cutting the court’s budget, we reverted more than $2 million for fiscal year 2009 to the state general fund.”
Parraguirre was elected to the Supreme Court in 2004.
Both Parraguirre and Hardesty have announced they intend to seek new terms on the court in 2010.
