Biography

Judge Scott Freeman was appointed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to serve as the Presiding Judge in Department 9 on March 26, 2012. In November 2012, his appointment was confirmed by the voters of Washoe County when he successfully retained his seat by popular election. He then ran unopposed in the 2014 and 2020 elections.

On November 17, 2017, he was unanimously elected Chief Judge by his peers. Thereafter, he was again unanimously re-elected by his peers for a second term, commencing January 2020, until his term as Chief Judge expired in January 2022. Judge Freeman was also elected and served as the President of the Statewide Nevada District Judges Association from 2021 to 2022.

Judge Freeman graduated from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, with a degree in Politics and a minor in Economics. Thereafter, he received his Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California. Judge Freeman has been a resident of Northern Nevada since 1979.

Judge Freeman commenced his law career in 1984, working with attorney David R. Houston. In 1986, the firm became known as “Houston and Freeman,” until 1994, when Chief Judge Freeman commenced a solo law practice emphasizing the representation of individuals accused of crime. His private law practice included extensive civil and criminal trial, appellate, and administrative law experience.

In 1993, Judge Freeman was appointed Pro Tem Family Court Master and Pro Tem Juvenile Court Master by the Second Judicial District Court. In 1995, he was appointed by the Reno Municipal Court to serve as a Pro Tem Judge up to and including the time he was appointed to the Second Judicial District Court by Governor Sandoval.

Judge Freeman spent twenty-eight years in private practice and has received numerous awards and distinctions. In 2008, he was awarded “Defender of the Year” by the statewide Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice. In 2012, he received the Best Lawyers in America award. He received the Mountain States Super Lawyer awards in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. In 2009, he was named a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. From 1999 through 2012, he was AV-rated by the international lawyer directory Martindale-Hubbell. In 2007, he was named Las Vegas Life Magazine Super Lawyer Best Criminal Attorney in Nevada. In 2002, he received the Nevada Business Magazine Super Lawyer Best Criminal Attorney in Nevada award. In 1999, he was the first recipient of the Washoe County Access to Justice Foundation’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award.

Judge Freeman was also appointed by the State Bar of Nevada to serve as a permanent member of the Commission for Judicial Selection from 2008 to 2011. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Nevada Law Foundation from 1998 to 2000. He was the criminal justice representative on numerous law-related committees, including the Washoe County Public Defender Selection Committee, Washoe County Alternative Public Defender Selection Committee, Nevada Criminal Jury Instructions Committee, Washoe District Court Pattern Criminal Jury Instructions Committee, Washoe District Court Criminal Rules Committee, and the Nevada Mandatory Sentencing Review Commission. Judge Freeman has also lectured on numerous topics at seminars sponsored by the Nevada Administrative Office of the Courts, State Bar of Nevada, Washoe County Bar Association, and local universities and high schools.

Judge Freeman is most proud of his work in the community. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Reno Sunrise and served on the Board of Trustees for the Children’s Cabinet from 1999 to 2014. In 2003, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Children’s Cabinet. He was also active with the international Special Olympics. From 1999 to the present, he has served as the Director of Security for the local annual PGA Tour event. Since 2014, he has been a volunteer member of the Reno Rodeo Association.

Judge Freeman formerly co-hosted the weekly television show Lawyers, Guns & Money on KRNV-TV, an NBC Network affiliate, featuring interviews with notable personalities in the legal, cultural, and charitable communities.

Judge Freeman enjoys spending time with his two adult children, playing recreational ice hockey, and long-distance bicycle riding.