Carson City has one lower court where most Nevada counties have two. The Carson City Justice and Municipal Court hears the cases that elsewhere would be split between a county justice court and a city municipal court: misdemeanors, DUIs, traffic offenses, and the first stage of every felony. Felonies and gross misdemeanors are tried in the First Judicial District Court, which sits in the same courthouse.
I’m Theodore FitzGerald, a criminal defense lawyer in Stateline. I work from one rule: the government has to follow the law at every step, in Carson City’s courthouse as in any other.
The Carson City Justice and Municipal Court
The court lists its criminal work as misdemeanor arraignments and trials, including DUI; traffic offenses and civil traffic infractions; felony preliminary hearings; and probable-cause determinations, bail, warrants, and the monitoring of suspended sentences.
Like every Nevada justice court, it can try misdemeanors and nothing more serious. On a felony or gross misdemeanor, the defendant is not asked to plead in this court. The case is set for a preliminary hearing, held within 15 days unless it is waived or the judge extends the time for good cause. If the judge finds probable cause, the case goes to the district court; if not, the defendant is discharged.
A misdemeanor conviction here can be appealed to the district court, but the notice of appeal is due within 10 days of the judgment.
If you are in jail
The court publishes how it handles people in custody. The 48-hour bail hearing is held by Zoom, and the public can join to watch. Arraignments and first appearances for people held in the jail are held by closed-circuit television on weekdays: the judge is in the courtroom and the defendant appears from the jail.
Can I appear remotely?
The court’s published pages describe the Zoom bail hearing and the closed-circuit arraignment for people in custody. They do not publish a procedure for a defendant who is out of custody to appear remotely, and the district court clerk’s page says nothing about remote appearances. A remote appearance has to be requested and approved in advance. Until it is approved, plan to be in the courtroom.
When a remote appearance is approved, treat it like a courtroom. Use a quiet room, a working camera and microphone, and dress as you would for court. Judges notice, and a clean remote appearance makes the next request easier to grant.
Missing a required date is expensive anywhere in Nevada. On an unexcused misdemeanor absence the court must order a warrant within 14 judicial days, and failing to appear after release is a separate crime unless you surrender within 30 days.
Address and contact
Carson City Justice and Municipal Court 885 E. Musser Street, Suite 2007 (2nd floor), Carson City, NV 89701 Phone: (775) 887-2121 · Email: JusticeCourtClerk@carsoncity.gov Clerk’s office: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed Fridays 11:00 a.m. to noon and on major holidays Fines and Fees Office: Suite 2003 (2nd floor), (775) 887-2064 Payments: online at carsoncity.gov/pay, in person, by mail, or at the drop box outside the courthouse (check or money order only)
First Judicial District Court, Clerk’s Office 885 East Musser Street, Suite 3031, Carson City, NV 89701 Phone: (775) 887-2082 · Email: districtcourtclerk@carsoncity.gov Clerk’s office: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed legal holidays
Working with FitzGerald Law in Carson City
My office is in Stateline, in Douglas County, which borders Carson City to the south. On a Carson City case, the office requests a remote appearance where the court will consider one, tells you in advance which dates need you in the courtroom, and handles the discovery requests and filings the case requires. A felony is planned from the start around the preliminary hearing, because that hearing decides whether the case goes to the district court at all.
The date on your paperwork is already set. Hire me now, and I’ll get to work on everything that comes before it. Call FitzGerald Law.