Opinion ID: 2335393
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Heading: The Full Faith and Credit Clause and the UEFJA

Text: Under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution, a final judgment entered in a sister state must be respected by the courts of this state. See U.S. Const. art. IV, § 1; Rosenstein, 103 Nev. at 573, 747 P.2d at 231; Donlan v. State, 127 Nev. ___, ___ & n. 1, 249 P.3d 1231, 1233 & n. 1 (2011). For the States of the Union, the constitutional limitation imposed by the full faith and credit clause abolished, in large measure, the general principle of international law by which local policy is permitted to dominate rules of comity. Broderick v. Rosner, 294 U.S. 629, 643, 55 S.Ct. 589, 79 L.Ed. 1100 (1935). To further the principle of comity, Nevada adopted the UEFJA in NRS 17.330 through 17.400. Under this act, a properly filed foreign judgment has the same effect and is subject to the same procedures, defenses, and proceedings for reopening, vacating, or staying as a Nevada district court judgment, and may be enforced or satisfied in like manner. NRS 17.350. Nevada's UEFJA applies to all foreign judgments filed in Nevada district court for the purpose of enforcing the judgment in Nevada. NRS 17.340; NRS 17.350. The act defines a foreign judgment as any judgment of a court of the United States or of any other court which is entitled to full faith and credit in this state.  NRS 17.340 (emphasis added). However, not all judgments are entitled to full faith and credit in Nevada. Notably, defenses such as lack of personal or subject-matter jurisdiction of the rendering court, fraud in the procurement of the judgment, lack of due process, satisfaction, or other grounds that make the judgment invalid or unenforceable may be raised by a party seeking to reopen or vacate a foreign judgment. 30 Am.Jur.2d Executions and Enforcement of Judgments § 787 (2005); see also Rosenstein, 103 Nev. at 573, 747 P.2d at 232; Marworth, Inc. v. McGuire, 810 P.2d 653, 656 (Colo.1991); Wooster v. Wooster, 399 N.W.2d 330, 333 (S.D.1987) (quoting Baldwin v. Heinold Commodities Inc., 363 N.W.2d 191, 194 (S.D.1985)). In addition, the United States Supreme Court has determined that the Full Faith and Credit Clause does not apply to penal judgments. Huntington v. Attrill, 146 U.S. 657, 666, 672-73, 13, S.Ct. 224, 36 L.Ed. 1123 (1892); Nelson v. George, 399 U.S. 224, 229, 90 S.Ct. 1963, 26 L.Ed.2d 578 (1970) (reiterating that the full faith and credit clause does not require that sister states enforce a foreign penal judgment). This exception for penal judgments, most notably analyzed in Huntington, is the law at issue here.