Judge Craig S. Denney was sworn in as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Nevada on January 24, 2022. He was born and raised near Cleveland, Ohio. He and his family have lived in Northern Nevada since 1999.
Judge Denney has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration and graduated summa cum laude from Ohio Dominican College in Columbus, Ohio. In 1993, Judge Denney received his juris doctorate from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. He has a master’s degree in business administration from Saint Martin’s College in Lacey, Washington. He also has a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He is also board certified in criminal trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Prior to his appointment to the federal court, Judge Denney has held the following positions as an attorney: Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada; Attorney and Counsel with Downey Brand LLP; Counsel and Partner with Snell & Wilmer LLP.
As a federal prosecutor in Nevada, Judge Denney tried more than 40 jury trials in U.S. District Court in Nevada and argued more than 20 cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
During his years in private practice, Judge Denney represented clients in civil litigation and criminal cases in federal and state courts. Judge Denney served as a board member and president of the Washoe County Bar Association. He was a member of the Northern Nevada Disciplinary Panel for the State Bar of Nevada. He also served on the Boards of Trustees for the Reno Philharmonic and the Nevada Museum of Art.
In 2016, Judge Denney was appointed as Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration. He later served as the Chief Administrative Law Judge for SSA’s Reno Hearing Office before his selection as a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He has presided over more than 1200 administrative hearings during his tenure as an ALJ.
Prior to moving to Nevada, Judge Denney served on active duty for six years in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). He served as a legal assistance attorney, tort claims litigator, military prosecutor, defense counsel, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. He has also served in the Army Reserve JAG Corps for twenty-four years. During his time in the Army Reserve, Judge Denney served as a Military Judge from 2011 to 2021. As a trial judge, Judge Denney has presided over more than 55 courts-martial at numerous Army installations across the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) and overseas in South Korea. Judge Denney served as an Associate Judge (Army Reserve) on the Army Court of Criminal Appeals from October 2021 to January 2024. He retired from the Army Reserve with thirty years of military service on February 1, 2024.