Nevada Supreme Court Justice Bob Rose speaks to members of the Clark County Bar Association on Wednesday. Rose, who has served on the Supreme Court since 1988, is retiring. Photo by John Locher.

With his retirement around the corner, Bob Rose told a group of Clark County lawyers on Wednesday that his most important accomplishment as a Nevada Supreme Court justice was developing a uniform system of judicial records.

"It tells the people how we're doing their work and how much of it we're doing, and I think it's great for public accountability," he said in an interview after his speech.

"But that has as much sex appeal as yesterday's toast," Rose added.

Rose said the system has provided uniform and reliable statistics in an annual report for the past five years. "It's one of the great success stories that we've had," he said during his talk.

Rose, who joined the state's high court 18 years ago, addressed about 100 members of the Clark County Bar Association on Wednesday during the group's monthly luncheon.

The chief justice, a Democrat, ran successfully for his first term on the Supreme Court in 1988. He declined to run for a fourth term this year, and District Judge Michael Cherry is running unopposed for the seat.

Rose, 67, cited growth as the biggest challenge facing the Nevada judicial system. He said the system needs more funding to ensure an adequate amount of courts, judges and staff.

The Supreme Court already has decided more than 1,700 cases this year, Rose said.

"We're running as fast as we can," he said. "I don't think you can get much more productivity out of us."

Rose also said he favors doing away with judicial elections and the pressure they place on candidates to raise money. "You chase them right into the special interests," Rose told his audience.

Under the current system, the governor appoints judges to seats that become vacant in the middle of a term. As chief justice, Rose heads the commission that chooses three finalists for each such appointment.

"We know so much more about those applicants than the voters," he said.

Rose said he would like to see the appointment system used for selecting all judges in the state.

"That's the way you should select judges -- on a merit selection process," he said.

Rose said the state should have a different system for selecting judges than it has for the selection of other politicians, because "we're elected to do a different job."

"We're supposed to be impartial and not be involved," he said.

He said a "retention election," in which the public could vote either for or against retaining each judge, should be held every six years after an appointment. Such a system would require only minimal fundraising, he said.

Rose was elected lieutenant governor in 1974 and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1978 against then-Attorney General Robert List. Rose was appointed to the Clark County District Court bench in 1986.

During an interview on Wednesday, Rose said his initial plan for retirement involves spending more time in Hawaii, where he has a home. He said he also will consider doing work as a senior district judge or senior Supreme Court justice. Senior judges and justices are paid by the hour to work on select cases.

"One thing I don't want to do is get into any situation where I have to work full time again," he said.