Speaker Biography - The Honorable Danielle Johnson
The Honorable Danielle Johnson was appointed to the Esmeralda Township Justice Court on October 2, 2017, was then elected in 2019, and then re-elected June 11, 2024. Judge Johnson is a third-generation Goldfield resident who has a strong commitment to her community, family and the legal system. She has over 17 years’ experience working within the criminal justice system. Judge Johnson is a Tonopah High School graduate. She attended the University of Phoenix, graduating with an Associates of Arts Degree in Accounting and a Bachelors of Science Degree in Criminal Justice.
Judge Johnson started her career in the criminal justice system working for a private investigator hired by her then boss, the District Attorney. She was then hired full time by the Esmeralda County District Attorney’s Office on April 1, 2007.
Judge Johnson has a long history of volunteering in this community. She has been an Emergency Medical Technician since 2012, and has been an active volunteer there since. Judge Johnson was appointed as Co-Coordinator of the Goldfield Volunteer Ambulance Service in 2015. Judge Johnson also has started a yearly program in 2018, in Esmeralda County called “Kids Court” where she goes to the elementary school one day a week for an hour to teach the students about the criminal justice system, the constitution, the bill of rights, and how the process works within the criminal justice system. She brings in special guests to speak to the students about their role in the system. At the end of the school year, after 6 months of preparation the students get to go on a field trip the Courthouse where they do a “mock jury trial” in the district courtroom.
Judge Johnson attended two different trainings in 2017 at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. In January 2022, Judge Johnson received her Certificate of Basic Achievement in Judicial Education. She continues her education and is working towards her Certificate of Advanced Achievement in Judicial Education.
Since taking the bench, Judge Johnson has worked to get the Court up to current standards and has made the court completely digital, after being completely paper for decades. Judge Johnson has worked with Court staff to help create a more user-friendly Court and easier access to the court by creating a website and APP dedicated to the Esmeralda Township Justice Court. Judge Johnson has most recently started a codependency specialty court in Esmeralda Township Justice Court.