AG candidate asks high court to halt disciplinary proceedings

Republican attorney general candidate Jacob Hafter said Friday he asked the Nevada Supreme Court to stop professional discipline proceedings against him.

Hafter said he filed an emergency petition with the high court after being informed Friday that the Nevada State Bar is slapping him with a letter of reprimand.

The reprimand stems from comments the Las Vegas lawyer allegedly made about possible misconduct by his Democratic opponent, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.

"Despite the banner that the State Bar is waving in this matter, this is not a case of attorney discipline," Hafter wrote in his petition to the Supreme Court. "This is a case of retribution for political speech against an incumbent (a very powerful and well-connected incumbent, at that)."

A screening panel of the bar's Northern Nevada Disciplinary Board heard the case against Hafter behind closed doors on Thursday. Hafter said he was not invited to participate.

Assistant Bar Counsel Phil Pattee said Friday that because of the bar's confidentiality rules, he could not confirm that a letter of reprimand was issued to Hafter.

But Pattee acknowledged that the screening panel had made a decision and that "the matter was not dismissed."

Hafter, who is in the middle of a primary campaign, issued a news release shortly after appealing to the Supreme Court, again accusing the bar of violating his free speech rights.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Philip Pro ruled that the State Bar was within its authority to investigate Hafter.

The bar accuses Hafter of making false public claims that the lawyers group had received a complaint against Cortez Masto for violating the attorney-client privilege in a matter involving Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons. Hafter denies making any false statements.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135 or read more courts coverage at lvlegalnews.com.