Court denies judge’s latest attempt to halt proceedings against him

The Nevada Supreme Court on Friday once more denied a bid by suspended Family Court Judge Steven Jones to halt upcoming disciplinary proceedings against him.

“Having considered the motion for a stay and opposition, we conclude that a stay is not warranted,” the high court said in a two-page order.

The decision paves the way for the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline to hold a Dec. 2 hearing in Las Vegas into allegations Jones mishandled a 2011 romantic relationship with a prosecutor who appeared before him.

Jones had sought the stay as part of his appeal of an August decision by District Judge Kathleen Delaney dismissing his lawsuit to prohibit the commission from disciplining him. The hearing was delayed in July after Jones filed the lawsuit.

But Delaney ruled from the bench in August that she lacked authority to stop the commission from moving forward. The commission then rescheduled the hearing for next month.

Jones contends the commission has been violating his due process rights, and he wants the Supreme Court to order Delaney to consider once more his claims against the commission.

Attorneys for the commission viewed Jones’ latest Supreme Court effort as another attempt to delay disciplinary action.

The commission suspended Jones after his unrelated federal indictment in November 2012 charging him with participating in a $3 million investment fraud scheme that spanned a decade.

Jones, first elected to Family Court in 1992, was charged in the federal indictment with using the power of his office to carry out the investment fraud scheme, which authorities alleged began in 2002. He pleaded not guilty.