Kent Dawson
Encyclopedia
Kent J. Dawson is a United States District Court
Judge in the District of Nevada
, having been appointed to that position by President Bill Clinton
on April 6, 2000, confirmed by the United States Senate
on May 24, 2000, and receiving his commission on May 31, 2000. Dawson's appointment, along with that of Roger Hunt
, filled two seats created by 113 Stat. 1501, and represented the first expansion of the federal judiciary in Nevada since 1984. Dawson has lived in Henderson, Nevada
since 1972, where he was also City Attorney and Justice of the Peace.
Dawson was born in 1944 in Ogden, Utah
, and attended Weber State College in Ogden on athletic and music scholarships, graduating in 1969. He received his J.D. from the University of Utah Law School in 1971, and served as a law clerk
for James Guinan, a Nevada state court judge. Dawson was Henderson City Attorney from 1972 to 1979, then worked in private practice until 1995, when he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Henderson.
A famous case heard by Judge Dawson was the criminal prosecution of professional tax protester
, Irwin Schiff
. In 2005, Schiff was convicted of various criminal tax charges for which Dawson sentenced Schiff, in February 2006, to over thirteen years in prison. Judge Dawson rejected one of Schiff's common tax protester arguments
that no law imposes a liability on an individual for income taxes, instructing the jury that sections 1, 61, 62 and 6012 of the Internal Revenue Code
"working together, make an individual liable for income taxes". Dawson sentenced Schiff to thirteen years in prison, and Dawson's sentence imposed was unanimously upheld on appeal by the three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
, with the exception of a contempt conviction, which was remanded for resentencing.
In late 2011, Judge Dawson granted court orders for the seizure and transfer of hundreds of domain names belonging to websites alleged by luxury goods company Chanel to be selling counterfeit merchandise. He also required that "all social media websites" and "all Internet search engines" (specifically listing Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Yahoo) remove these domain names from any search results.
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
Judge in the District of Nevada
United States District Court for the District of Nevada
The United States District Court for the District of Nevada is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Nevada. The court has locations in Las Vegas and Reno....
, having been appointed to that position by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
on April 6, 2000, confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on May 24, 2000, and receiving his commission on May 31, 2000. Dawson's appointment, along with that of Roger Hunt
Roger L. Hunt
Roger L. Hunt is a United States federal judge who has taken senior status. He now sits as a senior judge on the United States District Court for the District of Nevada....
, filled two seats created by 113 Stat. 1501, and represented the first expansion of the federal judiciary in Nevada since 1984. Dawson has lived in Henderson, Nevada
Henderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...
since 1972, where he was also City Attorney and Justice of the Peace.
Dawson was born in 1944 in Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, and attended Weber State College in Ogden on athletic and music scholarships, graduating in 1969. He received his J.D. from the University of Utah Law School in 1971, and served as a law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
for James Guinan, a Nevada state court judge. Dawson was Henderson City Attorney from 1972 to 1979, then worked in private practice until 1995, when he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Henderson.
A famous case heard by Judge Dawson was the criminal prosecution of professional tax protester
Tax protester (United States)
A tax protester is someone who refuses to pay a tax on constitutional or legal grounds, typically because he or she believes that the tax laws are unconstitutional or otherwise invalid...
, Irwin Schiff
Irwin Schiff
Irwin A. Schiff is a prominent figure in the United States tax protester movement. Schiff is known for writing and promoting literature that claims the United States income tax is applied incorrectly. He has lost several civil cases against the federal government and has a record of multiple...
. In 2005, Schiff was convicted of various criminal tax charges for which Dawson sentenced Schiff, in February 2006, to over thirteen years in prison. Judge Dawson rejected one of Schiff's common tax protester arguments
Tax protester arguments
Tax protester arguments are a number of objections raised by individuals who deny that a person has a legal obligation to pay a tax for which the United States government has determined that person is liable....
that no law imposes a liability on an individual for income taxes, instructing the jury that sections 1, 61, 62 and 6012 of the Internal Revenue Code
Internal Revenue Code
The Internal Revenue Code is the domestic portion of Federal statutory tax law in the United States, published in various volumes of the United States Statutes at Large, and separately as Title 26 of the United States Code...
"working together, make an individual liable for income taxes". Dawson sentenced Schiff to thirteen years in prison, and Dawson's sentence imposed was unanimously upheld on appeal by the three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
, with the exception of a contempt conviction, which was remanded for resentencing.
In late 2011, Judge Dawson granted court orders for the seizure and transfer of hundreds of domain names belonging to websites alleged by luxury goods company Chanel to be selling counterfeit merchandise. He also required that "all social media websites" and "all Internet search engines" (specifically listing Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Yahoo) remove these domain names from any search results.