Judge: Vegas-based court faces backlog of thousands of cases

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s largest trial court is trying to dig out from under a backlog of thousands of criminal and civil cases that have accumulated during the pandemic.

Eighth Judicial District Court Chief Judge Linda Bell said the the Las Vegas-based court has 5,500 civil trials set, up from about 3,500 as of March of 2020.

The judicial district also has numerous criminal cases pending, Bell told KVVU-TV.

Bell said attempts to catch up with the caseload include having judges encouraging settlement of cases, and recalling senior judges to handle settlement conferences.

The court also conducts many proceedings remotely to help reduce the caseload and keep people in the court system safe from COVID-19.

Bell said she hopes to get through the backlog in a year to 18 months.