Dustin Marcello

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Dustin Marcello

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 9, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

UNLV

Law

UNLV Boyd School of Law

Personal

Birthplace

Las Vegas, Nev.

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Dustin Marcello ran for election for the Department 2 judge of the Nevada 8th Judicial District Court. He lost in the primary on June 9, 2020.

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

Biography

Dustin Marcello was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and a J.D. from the Boyd School of Law.

Elections

2020

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

General election

General election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 2

Carli Lynn Kierny defeated incumbent Richard Scotti in the general election for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carli Lynn Kierny (Nonpartisan)	55.4	424,466
		Richard Scotti (Nonpartisan)	44.6	341,873

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 766,339
= 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 Department 2

Carli Lynn Kierny and incumbent Richard Scotti defeated Dustin Marcello in the primary for Nevada 8th Judicial District Court Department 2 on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carli Lynn Kierny (Nonpartisan)	39.7	109,716
✔		Richard Scotti (Nonpartisan)	32.0	88,506
		Dustin Marcello (Nonpartisan)	28.3	78,205

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 276,427
= 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.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dustin Marcello completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Marcello'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.

Born and raised in Las Vegas. Top 100 trial attorney. Tried numerous cases in State and Federal Court including arguing cases in front of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Pro Temp Judge in North Las Vegas. Legal commentator for major news outlets. Associate professor for the Boyd School of Law in trial advocacy. Experienced, Fair, Tempered, and Just.

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 have extensive trial experience, legislative experience, and experience dealing with the public
• Supported by a wide range of persons in the community including Veteran's, Culinary Union, Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, health care workers, Deputy Marshal's, SEIU, sheet metal workers, air, rail and transportation, and building trades.
• I am a strong advocate for regular folks and access to the courts and believe the role of a judge is to provide a fair and just forum to serve the people.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a judge, we are not permitted to take positions on public policy because a judge is required to review each case individually according to the law rather than impose the judge's individual preferences or world views.

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

I like up to the great thinkers and investors of history. Nikola Tesla, Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, Dr. Shirley Jackson, Charles Drew, Mark Twain, and of course Einstein. People that were passionate about using their unique gifts to make the world a better place.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 when I was 21 years old.

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

I have worked at Terrible Herbst Car Wash, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, was a busboy for Ruth's Chris Steak House and worked as a lifeguard for many summers at different hotels.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

I follow the law in a fair manner that is consistent with how the parties would reasonably expect the law would work. I don't really go for "gotcha" litigation or sticking it to people on technicalities. It is possible for two reasonable people to differ or have a disagreement. These matters must be decided on the merits and only fosters resentment of the legal system when cases or matters are summarily dismissed on technicalities that have nothing to do with the underlying controversy.

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

Absolutely.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

Not as a judge.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is important to have a historical context and understanding of how laws are passed and enforced. Not necessarily working in government or politics.

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

That the legal system operates like a machine. Most people think the legal field is against them. Unfortunately, it is worse, the legal system is completely indifferent. People need to be heard and have their disagreements decided on the merits by a jury of their peers.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

To adopt best practices and judicial decisions from other states. Using technology to make the courts more efficient and accessible for regular people.

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

I am focued on this position.

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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Government

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External links

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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