Nevada family-law decisions, briefed for practice.

The court began with the standard governing extraordinary writ relief: mandamus is available to compel performance of an act the law requires as a duty resulting from an office, trust, or station, or to control an…

The court addressed a jurisdictional question of first impression after In re A.B.: whether an order dismissing a NRS Chapter 432B child-protection petition is substantively appealable. Appellate jurisdiction in Nevada…

The Supreme Court entertained the original mandamus petition because placement orders are not appealable, consistent with In re Matter of J.B., 140 Nev., Adv. Op. 39, 550 P.3d 333, 337 (2024). On standing, the court…

This is an original proceeding seeking extraordinary writ relief - a writ of mandamus or prohibition - challenging the district court's jurisdiction in a proceeding under NRS Chapter 432B. The court set out the…

Standard of review: questions of law are reviewed de novo; the district court's factual findings are reviewed for substantial evidence. In re Parental Rts. as to A.L., 130 Nev. 914, 918, 337 P.3d 758, 761 (2014). The…

The court dismissed the appeal sua sponte for lack of appellate jurisdiction. The challenged order placed a minor child in temporary protective custody under NRS Chapter 432B. Citing In re Temp. Custody of Five Minor…

The court dismissed sua sponte for lack of appellate jurisdiction. Reaffirming that it "may only consider appeals authorized by statute or court rule," the court relied on Brown v. MHC Stagecoach, LLC, 129 Nev. 343,…

Standard of review. Mandamus may issue under NRS 34.160 to compel performance of an act the law requires, and under Nev. Const. art. 6, § 4. Relief is available only where the district court "manifestly abused [its]…

The court addressed whether the district court erred in declining to appoint a guardian ad litem for the parent-respondent in a termination-of-parental-rights proceeding without making the findings required by NRS…

The court applied the two-prong termination framework of NRS 128.105(1) and In re Termination of Parental Rts. as to N.J., 116 Nev. 790, 800-01, 8 P.3d 126, 132-33 (2000), requiring clear and convincing evidence of (1)…

Standard of review and writ jurisdiction. The court reviewed statutory interpretation de novo, citing Hobbs v. State, 127 Nev. 234, 237, 251 P.3d 177, 179 (2011). Mandamus is available to compel a duty or control a…

The Court began with a doctrinal framing distinguishing privately initiated termination petitions from those initiated by the state under NRS Chapter 128. While both fall within NRS Chapter 128 without statutory…

The court applied the settled rule that appellate jurisdiction exists only where authorized by statute or court rule, citing Brown v. MHC Stagecoach, LLC, 129 Nev. 343, 345, 301 P.3d 850, 851 (2013). Applying that…

**Jurisdiction / service.** The court first addressed DFS's threshold challenge to subject matter jurisdiction. Nevada's APA (NRS Chapter 233B) governs judicial review of administrative decisions. Liberty Mut. v.…

Standard of review and writ framework. The court reviewed matters of statutory construction de novo, citing In re Guardianship of Rubin, 137 Nev. 288, 491 P.3d 1 (2021), and Manuela H. v. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 132 Nev.…

Standard of review. The court reviewed conclusions of law, including statutory construction, de novo (Dewey v. Redev. Agency of Reno, 119 Nev. 87, 93-94, 64 P.3d 1070, 1075 (2003)), and factual findings for substantial…

Standard of review: The court reviews questions of statutory interpretation de novo, even on a writ petition, citing Int'l Game Tech., Inc. v. Second Jud. Dist. Ct., 124 Nev. 193, 198, 179 P.3d 556, 559 (2008). The…

The petition was brought as an original writ proceeding because a district court placement order in an NRS Chapter 432B case is not appealable; writ review is the appropriate vehicle. See Philip R. v. Eighth Jud. Dist.…

The court addressed appellate jurisdiction over an order entered in a juvenile court proceeding that placed a minor child for adoption and gave effect to a post-adoptive contact agreement. Applying NRAP 3A(b)(7), which…

The Court reviewed an unappealable district court placement order through original mandamus jurisdiction under NRS 34.160 and NRS 34.170, citing Int'l Game Tech., Inc. v. Second Jud. Dist. Ct., 124 Nev. 193, 197, 179…

The court dismissed the appeal sua sponte for lack of appellate jurisdiction. The challenged order established temporary custody of a minor under NRS Chapter 432B and set the matter for further proceedings. Relying on…

Standard of review: Questions of law are reviewed de novo, and the district court's factual findings are reviewed for substantial evidence - "that which 'a reasonable person may accept as adequate' to support a…

The court conducted a sua sponte jurisdictional review of the notices of appeal. Appellate jurisdiction in Nevada requires a final, appealable order or an order made appealable by statute or rule. The challenged orders…

The court dismissed sua sponte for lack of appellate jurisdiction. The challenged order established temporary custody under NRS Chapter 432B and set the matter for further proceedings. Citing In re Temporary Custody of…

The court first addressed appealability. Citing NRAP 3A(b)(7) and Matter of L.L.S., 137 Nev. 241, 244, 487 P.3d 791, 796 (2021), the court reiterated that orders entered in NRS Chapter 432B juvenile-court proceedings…

The court dismissed the appeal sua sponte for lack of appellate jurisdiction following its initial jurisdictional review of the notices of appeal. The order on review was a district court order for protective custody of…

Standard of review. The court reviews guardianship determinations for abuse of discretion, citing Jason S. v. Valley Hosp. Med. Ctr. (In re Guardianship of L.S. & H.S.), 120 Nev. 157, 87 P.3d 521 (2004), and State v.…

**Standard of review.** A district court's child custody order is reviewed for abuse of discretion. Wallace v. Wallace, 112 Nev. 1015, 1019, 922 P.2d 541, 543 (1996). Factual findings are upheld if supported by…

Standard of review: After a bench trial, the court reviews legal conclusions de novo and upholds factual findings supported by substantial evidence, citing Vegas United Inv. Series 105, Inc. v. Celtic Bank Corp., 135…

The court reviewed a termination of parental rights, applying its established standard: questions of law de novo and factual findings for substantial evidence. In re Parental Rights as to A.L., 130 Nev. 914, 918, 337…

The Court of Appeals reviewed a district court order denying a petition for judicial review of an administrative decision. It applied the standard that review of petitions for judicial review is the same for the…

The court (Hardesty, C.J., for an en banc court) addressed two threshold issues — writ jurisdiction and mootness — before reaching a substantive due process question. Writ jurisdiction. Citing NRS 34.170, In re William…

The court reviewed the procedural due process challenge de novo, citing Callie v. Bowling, 123 Nev. 181, 183, 160 P.3d 878, 879 (2007), for the requirement that a party receive notice and an opportunity to be heard. On…

The court addressed an original writ petition challenging a district court placement order. Writ relief is extraordinary and discretionary, and the petitioner bears the burden of demonstrating that intervention is…

The court reviewed a termination order under the familiar two-prong framework of NRS 128.105(1) and In re Termination of Parental Rights as to N.J., 116 Nev. 790, 800-01, 8 P.3d 126, 132-33 (2000): clear and convincing…

The court reviewed the termination order under the substantial-evidence standard. See In re Termination of Parental Rights as to N.J., 116 Nev. 790, 795, 8 P.3d 126, 129 (2000). Although the appellant did not challenge…

Standard of review: A district court's decision to deny a motion to modify physical custody without an evidentiary hearing is reviewed for abuse of discretion. Bautista v. Picone, 134 Nev. 334, 338, 419 P.3d 157, 160…

The Court of Appeals construes NRS 125C.007(1)(b) - the "best interests of the child" provision in Nevada's three-part threshold relocation test - and resolves two issues: (1) whether and how the NRS 125C.0035(4)…

The court reviewed the guardianship appointment for abuse of discretion under In re Guardianship of N.M., 131 Nev. 751, 758, 358 P.3d 216, 220 (2015), and addressed appealability under NRS 159A.375(1), which expressly…

Standard of review: Constitutional questions, including a parent's procedural due process rights in a termination proceeding, are reviewed de novo. In re Parental Rights as to M.F., 132 Nev. 209, 212, 371 P.3d 995, 997…

The opinion resolves an ambiguity in Nevada's civil discovery framework as applied to parental-rights terminations. The Court reviews a denial of a motion in limine for abuse of discretion under State ex rel. Department…

Standard of review: The Court of Appeals reviews factual determinations for abuse of discretion, In re Guardianship of N.M., 131 Nev. 751, 754, 358 P.3d 216, 218 (2015), but applies de novo review to questions of…

The opinion is a jurisdictional dismissal addressing whether a district court order extending a temporary guardianship and denying a motion to dismiss is independently appealable. Appellate jurisdiction in Nevada exists…

Standard of review and writ standards. The court reiterated that mandamus is available to compel an act required by law or to control arbitrary or capricious exercises of discretion, citing Int'l Game Tech., Inc. v.…

Standard of review: A writ of mandamus may issue "to compel the performance of an act that the law requires or to control an arbitrary or capricious exercise of discretion." Clark Cty. Dist. Att'y v. Eighth Judicial…

Standard of review: The court reviewed the consolidated original mandamus petitions under NRS 34.160, noting that mandamus is the appropriate vehicle to challenge an NRS Chapter 432B placement order because such orders…

The court reviewed the district court's findings of fact for substantial evidence, applying close scrutiny because termination of parental rights is "tantamount to imposition of a civil death penalty." In re Parental…

Standard of review. Constitutional questions, including the right to a jury trial, are reviewed de novo. Awada v. Shuffle Master, Inc., 123 Nev. 613, 618, 173 P.3d 707, 711 (2007). Termination orders are reviewed for…

Standard of review. A party petitioning to terminate parental rights must establish by clear and convincing evidence that termination is in the child's best interest and that parental fault exists, citing In re Parental…

The Nevada Supreme Court, sitting en banc in an opinion by Justice Parraguirre, reversed a district court order terminating a mother's parental rights and remanded for a new trial, holding that DFS confessed error under…