Dedree Butler

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Dedree Butler

Nonpartisan

Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division Department J

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

4

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Howard University, 2002

Law

University of Nevada William S. Boyd School of Law, 2008

Personal

Birthplace

St. Louis, Mo.

Religion

Spiritual

Contact

Campaign website

Dedree Butler is a judge for Department J of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division. She assumed office on January 4, 2021. Her current term ends on January 4, 2027.

Butler ran for election for the Department J judge of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Butler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Dedree Butler was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She earned a bachelor's degree from Howard University in 2002. She earned a J.D. from the William S. Boyd School of Law of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2008. Butler's career experience includes working as a team chief with the domestic violence unit of the Clark County public defender's office. She has been affiliated with the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, with the NAACP, with the Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys, and with Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Clark County, Nevada (2020)

General election

General election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division Department J

Dedree Butler defeated J. Scott MacDonald in the general election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division Department J on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dedree Butler (Nonpartisan)	58.4	422,095
	Submit photo	J. Scott MacDonald (Nonpartisan)	41.6	300,488

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 722,583
= 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.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division Department J

J. Scott MacDonald and Dedree Butler defeated incumbent Rena G. Hughes in the primary for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division Department J on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	J. Scott MacDonald (Nonpartisan)	37.2	100,789
✔		Dedree Butler (Nonpartisan)	35.7	96,723
		Rena G. Hughes (Nonpartisan)	27.2	73,634

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 271,146
= 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.

Endorsements

To view Butler's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dedree Butler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Butler's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a proud graduate of the UNLV Boyd School of Law. I was born in St. Louis, MO, but Las Vegas, Nevada has been my home for over 15 years. Home means Nevada. I am a mother to three beautiful children-Dawn Skye, Desiree, and Dominic. I am running for Family Court Judge in Dept J because we need judges who are compassionate, fair, and diligent. My goal is to help families resolve conflicts as efficiently and peacefully as possible. I would treat everyone before me with kindness and respect. I started my career in private practice doing primarily family law and insurance defense. Then, I represented our most vulnerable, our children in the juvenile delinquency division of family court. I currently serve as the team chief of the domestic violence unit for the Clark County Public Defender's office. I understand the emotional trauma of failed relationships and I have the proper temperament to deal with families going through challenging times. Approximately 60% of families represent themselves in family court. I believe in equal access to justice for all families in Clark County, NV and as a divorced mom, I will never forget what it feels like to stand in that space. It is time for a fresh, new voice in Family Court, someone who can relate to modern families and understands our growing population of diverse communities. Based on my personal and professional experience, I am the best candidate for Family Court Judge in Dept J.

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 am compassionate, fair, and diligent.
• I have the experience and temperament to be a great family court judge.
• I will treat everyone before me with kindness and respect with the goal of helping families resolve conflicts efficiently and peacefully.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am concerned about equal access to justice for all people. With over 60% of litigants in family court representing themselves, we need judges who are compassionate, fair, and diligent. I have the experience of being in court every single day, serving as a zealous advocate for clients who cannot afford to hire private counsel. I dedicated my legal career to serving my community to ensure all people are treated fairly in court. Many people in our community are dealing with mental health and drug abuse issues. We need to help guide people to counseling agencies and treatment programs. I am especially concerned that all people who appear in family court are treated with kindness and respect, having the opportunity to be heard.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire Michelle Obama for serving as First Lady and always exuding class, intelligence, and strength.

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

A judge should be knowledgeable about the law, have the proper temperament to deal with difficult, emotional cases, and be respectful of all people before her.

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

I am compassionate, fair, diligent, respectful, patient, prepared, and kind.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Beyonce, Who Runs the World

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

I admire the Honorable Thurgood Marshall for his legendary service on the US Supreme Court and his dedication to civil rights, equality, and justice for all.

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.

See also

2020 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Family Division Department J

Website

Footnotes

Nevada courts

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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