SALINAS VS. QUINN, JR. (CHILD CUSTODY)

Key holdings

Practitioner summary

The Nevada Supreme Court dismissed this pro se appeal from a child custody decree for failure to prosecute. After issuing a January 14, 2026, notice setting deadlines for the docketing statement (February 4, 2026) and the fast track opening brief (March 16, 2026), the court issued a follow-up order on February 9, 2026, granting an additional 7 days to file the overdue docketing statement and warning that noncompliance could result in dismissal under NRAP 14(c). The appellant filed neither the docketing statement nor the fast track opening brief and did not otherwise communicate with the court. The court treated the inaction as abandonment and dismissed the appeal.

In plain language

This was an appeal from a child custody decision made by a Clark County district court judge. The mother, Alma Salinas, filed the appeal herself, without an attorney. When someone appeals to the Nevada Supreme Court, the court requires them to file certain paperwork on a schedule. On January 14, 2026, the Supreme Court told Salinas she needed to file a "docketing statement" (a form that tells the court the basic facts about the appeal) by February 4, 2026, and a "fast track opening brief" (the written argument explaining why she thinks the lower court got it wrong) by March 16, 2026. Salinas missed the first deadline. On February 9, 2026, the court gave her an additional 7 days and warned her that if she still did not file the docketing statement, her appeal could be dismissed. She did not file the docketing statement, did not file the opening brief, and did not otherwise communicate with the court. Because she had effectively stopped pursuing her appeal, the Supreme Court concluded she had abandoned it and dismissed the case. The custody decree from the district court therefore stands.