Nevada State Library and Archives

The Nevada Supreme Court first heard cases in 1865 in the former Great Basin Hotel, which had been converted to a state and county office building and stood on the corner of Carson and Musser Streets in Carson City. In 1871, the Court moved across the street to the newly constructed Capitol Building, where it continued to sit until 1937.

These ten cases, decided by the Court during the period from 1865-1937, were selected by former Legislative Counsel and legal historian Russell W. McDonald, either for their legal importance or for the novel nature of their facts.

Case  1      The Posse - Smith v. State
Case  2      Gambling on Trial - Anderson v. McGill Club
Case  3      The Leaving Tax - Ex Parte Crandall
Case  4      Murder in Chinatown - State v. Ah Chuey
Case  5      The Execution of Mrs. Potts - State v. Potts
Case  6      Murder of Julia Bulette - State v. Millain
Case  7      The Last Stage Robbery - State v. Kuhl
Case  8      State ex rel. Stoutmeyer v. Duffy
Case  9      State ex rel. H.O. Beatty v. Rhodes
Case 10     The Chairs - State v. Davis

An Outline of Capital Punishment in Nevada

Photographs courtesy of the Nevada Historical Society.