The Honorable Michael L. Douglas was appointed to the Court in March 2004, and thereafter elected three times. He served as Chief Justice in 2011 and 2018.

Justice Douglas, a native of Los Angeles, came to Las Vegas in 1982 from Philadelphia, Penn., where he had been working as a private attorney. His Nevada career began as an attorney with Nevada Legal Services in 1982. Two years later he was hired by the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and served in the Civil Division until 1995. In 1996, he was appointed to the Eighth Judicial District Court bench. He took this office and was retained in an election later that year, serving until his appointment to the Supreme Court. On the District Court, he served as Chief Judge and Business Court Judge, and also served on District Court committees and Supreme Court Commissions.

Justice Douglas co-chaired the Nevada Supreme Court Bench-Bar Committee, the Nevada Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, and the Nevada Supreme Court Specialty Court Funding Committee. Justice Douglas is the first African-American Justice in Nevada's history.