Chief justice called greedy in Mello letter

      CARSON CITY -- The former administrator of the Supreme Court has sent a scathing letter about his former bosses to the Legislature, accusing them of everything from breaking the law to being greedy.
      Don Mello, who left as administrator in February, wrote the lengthy letter criticizing Chief Justice Miriam Shearing and Justices Bob Rose and Cliff Young.
      Mello, in earlier e-mails to lawmakers, attacked Shearing for blaming him for trying to hide a pay raise for three justices in an equipment item in the Supreme Court budget.
      Lawmakers expressed shock and outrage at the attempt, which came to light in a budget hearing earlier this month. Shearing said she rejected the proposal after learning about it in January when she became chief justice.
      A second proposal to raise judicial pay was included in a proposed study of the family court system, but that idea also was panned by lawmakers.
      Mello, in his May 14 e-mail, says of Shearing: "A woman of such immense wealth exhibits tremendous greed and contempt for the public by requesting an increase in salary -- when she knew full well what the job paid when she ran for it."
      About Rose, Mello said: "Rose is incredibly vindictive. He even went so far as to attempt (albeit unsuccessfully) to have the son of a political adversary flunked out of law school in his third and final year."
      Mello also said Rose used his public office to conduct personal business and that he improperly used his office to intercede on behalf of a former law clerk facing a drug charge in Clark County, a claim that was the subject of newspaper reports in 1994. Rose said he was only inquiring about the case as a friend and he later was absolved.
      Mello accused Young of the serious charge of engaging in discussions with attorneys in cases without both sides being present. Mello noted that the Judicial Discipline Commission rejected a complaint about Young regarding such communications, although Mello said it did so without an investigation.
      "On more than one occasion Young has been seen and heard discussing cases with former law clerks in public places," Mello said.
      The three members of the court attacked in Mello's letter were hearing oral arguments on cases in North Las Vegas on Thursday and could not be reached for comment.
      Lawmakers had varying reactions to the letter.
      Sen. Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, said lawmakers have held up on finalizing the Supreme Court budget to try to get to the bottom of the hidden salary increase issue.
      "At this point, their salary equalization is not viable," he said.
      The unrelated issues raised in Mello's letter do not appear to be within the scope of the joint Ways and Means and Finance subcommittee on general government, O'Donnell said.
      Ways and Means Chairman Morse Arberry, D-North Las Vegas, said he read Mello's letter but that it's time to close the Supreme Court budget and move on.
      "We need to deal with the issues at hand," he said.