Cynthia Dustin-Cruz

Cynthia Dustin-Cruz is a judge for Department 5 of the Las Vegas Township Justice Court in Nevada. Her current term ends on January 6, 2031.

Dustin-Cruz ran for re-election for the Department 5 judge of the Las Vegas Township Justice Court in Nevada. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Dustin-Cruz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Cynthia Dustin-Cruz was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dustin-Cruz's career experience includes working as a justice of the peace, licensed attorney, and small business owner. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1993 and a law degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2003.^[1]

Dustin-Cruz has been affiliated with the following organizations:^[1]

Nevada State Bar
Nevada Limited Jurisdiction Judges of Nevada
Clark County Bar Association
American Judges Association
Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys
Nevada Judges of Limited Jurisdiction’s Legislative Committee
Nevada State Sentencing Policy’s Misdemeanor Subcommittee
Administrative Office of the Court’s Specialty Court Policy and Funding Committee
Nevada Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission
Clark County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 5

Incumbent Cynthia Dustin-Cruz defeated Madilyn Leavitt Cole in the general election for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 5 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Cynthia Dustin-Cruz (Nonpartisan)	52.2	268,105
	Madilyn Leavitt Cole (Nonpartisan)	47.8	245,930

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 514,035
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Cynthia Dustin-Cruz and Madilyn Leavitt Cole advanced from the primary for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 5.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Dustin-Cruz in this election.

2018

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 5

Incumbent Cynthia Dustin-Cruz won election outright in the primary for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 5 on June 12, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cynthia Dustin-Cruz (Nonpartisan)	100.0	100,552

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 100,552
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Selection method

For more information about judicial selection processes in each state, click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Cynthia Dustin-Cruz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dustin-Cruz's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Since being elected to the bench in 2012, I have presided over criminal, civil, eviction, protection order and traffic dockets. Coming from a working-class family, I take my role as a public servant seriously, working to save taxpayer dollars, improve the justice system and our community. I have lived in the Las Vegas community for over 55 years.

I am currently the Chief Judge of the Las Vegas Justice Court and co-chair the Clark County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and the presiding Judge for the Court’s Drug Court and DUI Treatment Court programs. I serve on the Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and Specialty Court Funding and Policy Committee. I have been awarded the Bob Gray Community Partner Award, the 2023 Outstanding Women of the Year for the Judiciary Award, the 2024 Outstanding Woman of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award and the Distinguished Educational Achievement Certificate for Judicial Education. I have worked to re-design the Court’s eviction diversion program, allowing 77.7% of people referred to the program to avoid eviction.

Experience matters when making a determination as to who the judge should be in our community, as they preside over cases affecting people’s lives. I bring over 21 years as a licensed attorney in the State of Nevada, and a proven track record of being fair and impartial judge, protecting the rights of everyone who appears before me. For these reasons, I hope to have your vote in the general election.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I believe that experience matters when making a determination as to who the judge should be in our community. The high volume of cases that appear in Las Vegas Justice Court, requires someone with a depth of experience in all aspects of the types of cases that are in Las Vegas Justice Court. These cases deal with and affect people’s lives, so jurists should have a substantial background in the law and the type of matters that may come before them. This is not a position where someone can learn as they go. I bring decades of experience in every type of case that appears in Las Vegas Justice Court, along with a proven track record of being able to effectively handle these types of cases fairly and impartially.
I work with people involved in the criminal justice system due to substance abuse issues get into recovery, housed and back into the workforce. This provides pathways for people to escape being involved in the criminal justice system, while holding them accountable. Since 2016, I have been the presiding Judge for the Las Vegas Justice Court’s Drug Court program and I have been the presiding Judge for the DUI Treatment Court since 2019. In both treatment courts, I help participants re-enter society as productive members who cease being involved in the criminal justice system, deterring crime in our community. 76% of Drug Court graduates and 80% of DUI Treatment Court graduates do not get back involved in the criminal justice system.
Outside of the criminal justice arena, I continue to address the growing needs of our community. I restructured the Courts eviction diversion program completely, narrowing down to assist the more vulnerable: seniors and disabled individuals facing eviction for non-payment of rent. By collaborating with county services, legal aid programs and landlords, back owed rent is paid rapidly and program participants are connected to sustainable resources. To date, the program has disbursed over 1.8 million dollars to participating landlords and 77.7% of people referred into the program have had their eviction case dismissed or vacated. I plan to continue working towards expanding this program as more community resources become available.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Working on expanding treatment courts to provide pathways to those involved in the criminal justice system, due to a substance use or mental health disorder, treatment and resources with judicial oversight to get them productive members of our community and out of the criminal system. I also believe in leveraging technology to improve access to the court system to better serve the public sector and collaborating with community stakeholders to work towards realistic solutions to handle many issues our community faces.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

As a judge, constitutional equality is paramount to my commitment to applying the law fairly to each person who comes before me. It is, and has been, my duty to uphold the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution and the Equal Rights Amendment of the Nevada State Constitution to all who have matters before me. I frequently interact with people who are homeless, unemployed, without any family support or community connections (aside from those who may be involved in the criminal justice system or also facing similar circumstances), dealing with substance abuse issues, and/or co-occurring mental health issues in my treatment courts. I have people who have appeared before me as litigants who express different political viewpoints than what I might personally have. However, in each situation, I work on treating people with dignity and respect, and never let their social, economic or political positions influence my decisions, or how I treat them. My courtroom is meant to be a forum where people can be heard and their matters judged fairly and impartially, within current law. That law is meant to be applied equally to all, and not applied (or not applied) based upon someone's race, gender, social economic standing, religion, or sexual preference. I will continue to stand committed to making sure that such happens upon my re-election.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I grew up in Las Vegas community, being a resident for over 55 years. I attended all of my schooling the Las Vegas, going through public school system, attending UNLV for my undergraduate degree and UNLV’s Boyd School of Law for my law degree. My parents were part of the working-class labor, with my mother being a secretary and my father a police officer, and I was raised in a working-class neighborhood. Like many, I have worked consistently since I was in high school, holding jobs to be able to pay for my living expenses and education. Sometimes I had to have two jobs to make ends meet. The practice of law is my second career, as I became a small business owner after graduating from UNLV in 1993. I graduated from law school in 2003, and became licensed to practice law the same year. I have over 21 years as licensed attorney, practicing in criminal and civil law before being elected to the bench in 2012. I have handled every type of case that appears in Las Vegas Justice Court: criminal, civil, small claims, eviction, protective orders and traffic. In addition to my law degree, I have continued my education receiving a distinguished education certification from the Nevada Administrative Office of the Courts Coming from a working-class family, I take my role as a public servant seriously, working to save taxpayer dollars, improve the justice system and our community. I believe that experience matters when making a determination as to who the judge should be in our community. Las Vegas Justice Court requires someone with a depth of experience in all types of cases. Court cases affect people’s lives, so jurists should have a substantial background in the law and the type of matters that may come before them. I bring over 21 as a licensed attorney in the State of Nevada, and a proven track record from almost 12 years on the bench of being fair, impartial and applying the law to protect the rights of everyone who appears before me.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I believe that experience matters when making a determination as to who should be a judge in our community. Due to the high volume of cases that appear in Las Vegas Justice Court (over 220,000 new matters were filed into the Court in 2023), this is not a position where someone can learn as they go. It requires someone with a depth of experience in all aspects of the types of cases that are in Las Vegas Justice Court (civil, criminal, evictions, traffic, and protection orders). I bring over twenty-one years as a licensed attorney in the State of Nevada, and a proven track record from almost twelve years on the bench of being fair, impartial and applying the law to protect the rights of everyone who appears before me.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a coffee-water girl for a restaurant. I had to obtain a special work permit and held this job during summers from when I was 15 years of age until my junior year of high school.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My parents were part of the working-class labor, with my mother being a secretary and my father a police officer, and I was raised in a working-class neighborhood. Like many, I have worked consistently since I was in high school, holding jobs to be able to pay for my living expenses and education. Sometimes I had to have two jobs to make ends meet. I understand what is means to live paycheck to paycheck, and have experienced making the difficult decisions of buying groceries or paying my rent. My family did not have the finances to send me to college, let alone to a school out of state, so I had to work to pay my way through my college and law school. I believe that my background provides me with a lived experiences to understand the litigants coming before me, and their struggles.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Many people have a belief that Las Vegas Justice Court only handles criminal matters, but Las Vegas Justice Court has a higher volume of civil matters that are filed there than criminal matters. Thus, a jurist for the Las Vegas Justice Court must possess experience and knowledge in how to handle both criminal and civil matters to be able to fulfill the role they are elected to do. Judges for Las Vegas Justice Court also must be prepared to be on call 24/7 multiple times a year to review search warrant applications - while still coming to to handle their normal caseloads each day. Many of these calls occur overnight, on holidays and weekends. A judge for this Court should also be prepared to handle applications for protective orders, write orders and handle many administrative tasks for the betterment of the Court.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

As a limited Jurisdiction Judge, I am bound to follow and apply our laws as written, and not to legislate from the bench.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Yes, as a judge, you can have empathy as the matters coming before you, treating people with dignity and respect. Being empathetic is possible while still providing a forum where people can be heard and their matters judged fairly and impartially, within current law.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

Growing up with a father who was a police officer instilled in me a sense of public service as I grew up. I always had a desire to help others, and my career paths always moved in that direction, first in the health industry, and then into the legal industry. After graduating from law school and a clerkship with a district court judge, I moved into private practice, doing criminal defense work, family law and civil litigation. I began accepting indigent defense criminal cases where the public defender’s office was conflicted from representation, helping those who could not afford to hire an attorney. After gaining ten years in the legal field, and creating a successful law practice, I felt that it was time to shift entirely into the public sector to work towards improving our community, so in 2012, I sought a judicial position. I ran and was elected, taking the bench on January 1, 2013.
I hope to maintain my current position as the Justice of the Peace in Department 5 to continue to provide a fair and impartial forum for cases that appear before me. I wish to continue to work with our community partners to see how I can keep helping to improve the justice system and our community through continuing to be involved in various committees tasked to work towards such. I hope to continue to improve and evolve the Court’s treatment court system to keep finding ways to allow those who have substance use disorders ways to cease being involved in the criminal court system. I wish to continue to find ways to help diminish the repeat DUI offenders in our community, to make it safer to drive on our streets. Lastly, I want to keep working on ways to use technology to improve and streamline our court system

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Community safety, recidivism and the growing volume of cases coming into Las Vegas Justice Court are key issues that continue to need focus and attention. Our laws are such that the prosecution must present clear and convincing evidence to maintain custodial statuses on criminal defendants. I frequently remind both sides that the decision in Valdez-Jimenez is not limited to a defendant’s ability to afford bail, but also includes considering community safety in determining any release from custody. I have worked through my treatment courts to effect change as to criminal recidivism, with 76-80% of graduates from my programs not reoffending. This also improves community safety. In 2023, Las Vegas Justice Court had over 220,000 new matters submitted into our court system, for everything from traffic tickets, to protective orders, evictions, civil cases and criminal matters. Having almost twelve years of experience on the bench allows me to effectively handle the case volume on any docket I am assigned. Having over twenty-one years as a licensed attorney, and my experience handling every type of matter coming into our Court, provides me the legal knowledge to handle matters efficiently, while correctly applying the appropriate law.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

Possibly

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Clark County Firefighters

Las Vegas Firefighters
Professional Firefighters of NV
Las Vegas Police Protective Assn
Public Safety Alliance Network
North Las Vegas Police Officers Assn
Las Vegas Peace Officer Supervisor Assn
Las Vegas Police Managers & Supervisors Assn
Police Officers Association of CCSD
Hispanics in Politics
National Latino Peace Officers Assn
Clark County Marshal’s Assn
Asian American Group
SEIU
National Organization for Women
African Chamber of Commerce & Tourism
Plumbers & Pipefitters
ECHO Adult Residential Care Providers of NV
Ironworkers
LiUNA!
Veterans for Responsible Government
Veterans in Politics
Nevada Veterans Association
Nevada Democratic Veterans & Military Families

Armed Forces PAC

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I think public officials have a duty to be fiscally responsible, and the only way to assure such is to maintain transparency. Transparency also aids in maintaining public confidence in the system. Courtrooms should be open forums to the public and as transparent as possible.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 5

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Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 3, 2024

Nevada courts

Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Nevada • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Nevada

State courts:

Nevada Supreme Court • Nevada Court of Appeals • Nevada District Courts • Nevada Justice Courts • Nevada Municipal Courts • Clark County Family Court, Nevada

State resources:

Courts in Nevada • Nevada judicial elections • Judicial selection in Nevada

[bio-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 3, 2024

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Cynthia Dustin-Cruz

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 5

Nonpartisan primary election

Endorsements

2018

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 5

Selection method

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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