David Zenoff (March 8, 1916 – October 3, 2005) was an American judge from

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. Born in

Amherst, Wisconsin Amherst is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,035 in the 2010 census. Amherst is at the core of the Tomorrow Valley area. History The name Amherst was established in 1853 by Adam Uline, after General J ...

, Zenoff received his law degree from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. He served as a major in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, earning a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. He moved to

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, and was admitted to the Nevada bar in 1948. He served as a justice of the

Nevada Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Nevada is the highest state court of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the head of the Nevada Judiciary. The main constitutional function of the Supreme Court is to review appeals made directly from the decisions of the distric ...

from 1965 until 1977. On May 1, 1967, Judge Zenoff presided over the wedding of

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and Priscilla Presley. He also presided over the divorce between

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

and

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

. Judge Zenoff helped found the juvenile justice system in Clark County, Nevada and the county juvenile detention center (David Zenoff Hall) is named after him. His spouse was Beverly Banks. They had three children. He retired to

La Costa LaCosta Tucker (born December 12, 1951) is an American country music artist who recorded in the 1970s and 1980s as La Costa. The sister of country singer Tanya Tucker, LaCosta charted several singles of her own in the 1970s on the ''Billboard' ...

Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is south of downtown Los Angeles and north of downtown San Diego. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. ...

, and died in the Scripps Hospital in Encinitas.

References

1916 births 2005 deaths United States Marine Corps officers United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Military personnel from Nevada Military personnel from Wisconsin Justices of the Nevada Supreme Court People from Carlsbad, California People from Amherst, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Law School alumni 20th-century American judges Military personnel from California Chief Justices of the Nevada Supreme Court {{Nevada-state-judge-stub