Over the next month, Clark County District and Justice Courts, the Las Vegas Municipal Courts, the Nevada Supreme Court and related judicial agencies will move into the Regional Justice Center (RJC) located at 200 Lewis Avenue in downtown Las Vegas. The move officially began on Sept. 30.

The Marriage License Bureau is the first office to open to the public. On Oct. 4, Clark County Clerk Shirley B. Parraguirre, county staff and an Elvis Presley impersonator were on hand for the wedding cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new office. The first 100 couples to arrive at the Marriage License Bureau received commemorative gifts including red roses (for the bride-to-be) and T-shirts.

The move caps an extended planning and construction process designed to create an urban courthouse in Southern Nevada. The Regional Justice Center was designed as a central court location and will house the Nevada Supreme Court, Eighth Judicial District Court, Las Vegas Township Justice Court, City of Las Vegas Municipal Court, Clark County District Attorney, Las Vegas City Attorney, Clark County Clerk, and support staff for the various courts.

"Whether it is a couple applying for a marriage license, or an individual reporting for jury duty, the Regional Justice Center will provide southern Nevada with a centralized court location aimed at reducing stress, while ensuring equal access to justice," said County Manager Thom Reilly.

The Regional Justice Center was designed as a modern courthouse featuring the latest in technology and useful services. It is estimated that more than 15,000 people per day will access the facility. The public will see the benefits of the new technologies built into the RJC from the day it opens. A few of the new technologies used throughout the building include electronic calendars, video transcription services and a fiber optic network aimed at providing high-speed Internet and communication services.

"This new courthouse provides our community with vast improvements aimed at helping us provide better customer service and systems to promote timely adjudication of legal disputes," said Eighth Judicial District Court Chief Judge Kathy Hardcastle.

The 717,000 square-foot building designed to allow citizens to seek justice in a professional, functional and judicial setting. "Clark County is proud to open the Regional Justice Center and provide its citizens with a new courthouse that will serve us for many years to come, " said Reilly.

For more information about the relocation of court services and agencies located in the Clark County Courthouse, please log on to www.accessclarkcounty.com or call (702) 433-INFO (4636).