About

Judge Joseph S. Sciscento, was appointed to the Las Vegas Justice Court bench in June 2009 and took the bench in July 2009.  Judge Sciscento was re-elected to the bench in November 2010, 2012, and 2018 for the full six-year term.  He has been on the bench since 2009 hearing criminal, civil, evictions, traffic, misdemeanor trials, and Felony preliminary hearings.  He had served for several years as Judge over the Moderate Offenders Program for DUI and presided over Animal Control cases for over seven years.

From Scholar to Jurist

Judge Sciscento graduated, Cum Laude from California State University Northridge in 1988, having received a bachelor’s degree in political science. Judge Sciscento earned his Juris Doctorate in Law from the University of San Diego in 1991. In the summer of 1989, while in London, England, he studied under the United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Judge Sciscento received awards in Moot Court Competition while at the University of San Diego.

In 1991, Judge Sciscento moved to Las Vegas where he practiced Probate Law gaining knowledge of probate, guardianship and estate planning. He was an adjunct professor at CCSN and was a guest lecturer at UNLV for Business Law. He practiced in other areas of law including Criminal and Civil Law. He later worked in the Law Offices of Gentile and Porter. In 1995 Judge Sciscento began his sole practice mainly in the area of criminal defense.

Leadership and Recognition

Judge Sciscento was a member of the Nevada Society of Italian American Lawyers, serving as President in 1997 and 2006.  He was on the board of governors and was a member of the Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice.   He was a recipient of the Co-Justinian Award in 2005.   He became a “Big Brother” in 1997 and mentored his “little” brother for years after.  Judge Joseph has served over 100 hours as a volunteer at Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada.

Judge Sciscento has assisted at UNLV Law School as a guest lecturer and presided over Mock Trial competitions for UNLV and local High Schools.

A Personal Chapter and Professional Acclaim

In 2001 Judge Sciscento was married in Granada, Spain to Amalia Sciscento, and they have two sons, Mateo Sciscento (20) and Guillermo Sciscento (11).  While currently divorced they still raise their two children in Las Vegas.

Judge Sciscento currently presides in Department 2 of the Las Vegas Justice Court.  In past years, Judge Sciscento has received some of the highest retention ratings, in the Review-Journal “Judging the Judges”, from attorneys appearing in front of him.