Judicial officer: Conditions for appointment; qualifications; duties; compensation; designation of alternative title

1. In any county in which the appointment of judicial officers by a justice court is authorized by the board of county commissioners, the local rules of practice adopted in a justice court within the county may authorize the appointment of one or more judicial officers to perform certain duties that the Supreme Court has approved. If the justice court elects to appoint a judicial officer, the local rules of practice adopted in that court must set forth the selection process for choosing a judicial officer. 2. A judicial officer appointed pursuant to subsection 1 must possess qualifications that are equal to or greater than the qualifications required of the justice of the peace for the township in which the judicial officer is appointed as set forth in NRS 4.010. 3. The Supreme Court shall provide by rule for a course of instruction in the elements of substantive law relating to the duties of any judicial officer appointed pursuant to subsection 1. A judicial officer appointed pursuant to subsection 1 may not perform any duties of a judicial officer appointed by the court until he or she has completed the course of instruction described in this subsection. 4. A judicial officer appointed pursuant to subsection 1 may not preside over: (a) Any trial for a misdemeanor constituting: (1) An act of domestic violence pursuant to NRS 33.018; or (2) A violation of NRS 484B.657, 484C.110 or 484C.120; or (b) Any preliminary hearing for a gross misdemeanor or felony. 5. A person appointed as a judicial officer must take and subscribe to the official oath before acting as a judicial officer. 6. A judicial officer appointed by the court is entitled to receive a salary or a per diem salary set by the board of county commissioners. The annual sum expended for salaries of such judicial officers must not exceed the amount budgeted for those expenses by the board of county commissioners. 7. A justice court may, by local rule or order, designate another title for a judicial officer appointed pursuant to this section so long as the title does not include the term “master.”