Nevada Court Delays Ruling on Ousted Judge

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Supreme Court will not decide whether to disbar ex-federal Judge Harry Claiborne until after it hears his claim that he is the victim of a Justice Department vendetta, the state’s chief justice said Friday.

Claiborne was ousted Thursday by the U.S. Senate as a federal judge, and the Nevada State Bar is pressing for his suspension.

Chief Justice John Mowbray said Claiborne will be treated like any other member of the State Bar facing a suspension action.

“As long as I’m chief justice, this case won’t be glossed over,” Mowbray said Friday. “We’ll call it as it is. We’re not going to be stampeded.”

Mowbray said there is little that he can say at this point about the State Bar’s move to suspend Claiborne, adding, “We’re researching it, we will meet on it, and we will certainly dispose of it in due course.”

Claiborne’s suspension case began last May after the judge was sentenced to two years in prison for failing to report $106,000 in income on his federal taxes.

In July, the Supreme Court rejected the State Bar’s move to suspend Claiborne’s license, and instead planned an inquiry to see whether it had any jurisdiction over the once-prominent Las Vegas criminal attorney.

The Supreme Court has also said that its preliminary review shows that the State Bar lacks jurisdiction over Claiborne and also raises a “substantial” question whether the high court itself has any jurisdiction.