---
title: "Cynthia Dustin-Cruz | KnowJudges"
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page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Cynthia Dustin-Cruz

Nevada Las Vegas Township Justice Court · Justice of the Peace

## Profile

- Court: Nevada Las Vegas Township Justice Court
- State: Nevada
- Role: Justice of the Peace
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-26

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### recording photography electronic devices

Scope: statewide

Nevada prohibits using cameras, cellular phones, or other electronic devices to photograph or record courtroom proceedings unless the judge expressly permits it.

Evidence excerpt: the use of cameras, cellular phones or other electronic devices to photograph or record courtroom proceedings without the express permission of the judge is prohibited

[Nevada Rules on Electronic Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://nvcourts.gov/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/11729/rules_on_electronic_coverage_of_court_proceedings.pdf)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### advance media request

Scope: statewide

Nevada news reporters seeking electronic courtroom coverage must file a written request with the judge at least 24 hours before the proceeding, subject to judicial discretion.

Evidence excerpt: News reporters desiring permission to provide electronic coverage of a proceeding in the courtroom shall file a written request with the judge at least 24 hours before the proceeding commences

[Nevada Rules on Electronic Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://nvcourts.gov/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/11729/rules_on_electronic_coverage_of_court_proceedings.pdf)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://nvcourts.gov/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/12202/Judicial_Directory-Term_of_Office_01.09.25.pdf)
- [Official roster](https://nvcourts.gov/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/12202/Judicial_Directory-Term_of_Office_01.09.25.pdf)
- [Nevada Judiciary official judicial roster](https://nvcourts.gov/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/12202/Judicial_Directory-Term_of_Office_01.09.25.pdf)
- [Nevada Rules on Electronic Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://nvcourts.gov/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/11729/rules_on_electronic_coverage_of_court_proceedings.pdf)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- She has been on the bench since 2012 and is the only judge in her department
- Cynthia Dustin‐Cruz is the nonpartisan presiding judge for Department 5 of the Las Vegas Township Justice Court in Nevada, serving a term that ends January 6, 2031
- Dustin‐Cruz was re‐elected on November 5, 2024 to continue as Department 5 judge, defeating Madilyn Leavitt Cole in a nonpartisan general election
- Elected to the Las Vegas Justice Court in 2012 and has handled criminal, civil, eviction, traffic, and initial appearance cases
- During law school, she served on the Moot Court Appellate Advocacy team, worked in the Juvenile Justice Department, and clerked for Judge James C. Mahan Clark County Justice Court
- After law school, Dustin‐Cruz clerked for Judge Jackie Glass in Nevada’s Eighth Judicial District Court, then served as an associate attorney before opening her own law practice.

### Education



### Additional information

- In September 2024, she resigned as Chief Judge to focus on bench duties
- She has received multiple honors, including the Bob Gray Community Partner Award (2017) and the Outstanding Women of the Year award (2023, 2024 Lifetime Achievement).
- From 2019 to 2021, she was Vice‐Chief Judge and chaired key committees.
- She has led the Drug Court program (2016) and DUI Treatment Court (2019)
- She graduated from Bonanza High School in 1985, obtained a B.S. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 1993, and a J.D. from UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law in 2003.
- Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, she moved to Las Vegas in 1969.
- She is affiliated with the Nevada State Bar, Clark County Bar Association, American Judges Association, and other judicial and legal organizations



## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Nevada Rules on Electronic Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-092c2dd72fc20b2d8f928b3b) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim.  Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://nvcourts.gov/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/11729/rules_on_electronic_coverage_of_court_proceedings.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.
