--- title: "Kent J. Dawson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kent-j-dawson" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Kent J. Dawson U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada - State: Nevada - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Kent Joseph Dawson is a Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, having assumed senior status on July 9, 2012 - Judge, District Court, D. Nevada, 2000-2012 - Justice of the peace, Henderson Nevada Justice Court, 1995-2000 - Judge pro tem, Henderson Nevada Municipal Court, 1993-1995 - Law clerk, Hon. James Guinan, Nevada District Court, Washoe County, 1971-1972 ### Education - University of Utah College of Law (now S.J. Quinney College of Law) — J.D. (1971) - Weber State College on athletic and music scholarships — B.S. (1969) - Weber State University — B.S. (1969) ### Additional information - City manager, Henderson, NV, 1977-present - He took senior status on July 9, 2012 - One of his most cited rulings was in the 2005 prosecution of tax protester Irwin Schiff. - On April 6, 2000, President Bill Clinton nominated Dawson to a new seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, authorized by 113 Stat. - received his commission on May 31, 2000. - Private practice, Las Vegas, NV, 1979-1995 - General counsel, Public Improvement Trust, Henderson, NV, 1973-1995 - City attorney, Henderson, NV, 1973-1979 - Assistant city attorney, Henderson, NV, 1972-1973 - Born June 13, 1944, in Ogden, Utah. - Date of birth: 1944-01-01 - Licensed private pilot and a longtime Henderson resident - Dawson has received multiple honors, including the Member of the Year Award from the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, the Clark County Pro Bono Project’s Outstanding Contribution by a Law Firm Award, and the Mike O’Callaghan Public Sector Person of the Year Award - Birth place: Ogden, UT ## 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 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391136) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391136) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391136) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/831/kent-j-dawson/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Federal Judicial Center — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges](https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/history/judges.csv) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/831/kent-j-dawson/) - [Wikidata: Kent Dawson](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6391691) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kent-j-dawson", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kent-j-dawson", "name": "Kent J. 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Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.