High court upholds Nevada ethics law
Lawyer Blogs
The Supreme Court on Monday unanimously upheld a Nevada ethics law that governs when lawmakers should refrain from voting on official business because they might have a conflict of interest.
The court reversed a Nevada Supreme Court decision that said elected officials have a constitutional right to vote on official business that the state law violated.
The decision came in the case of Michael Carrigan, a Sparks, Nev., council member who voted on a casino project even though his campaign manager served as a project consultant.
Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the court, said an elected official's vote "is not his own speech but a mechanical function of government — the commitment of his apportioned share of the legislature's power to the passage or defeat of a particular proposal."
Scalia said conflict-of-interest rules similar to Nevada's "have been commonplace for over 200 years."
The Nevada Commission on Ethics found that Carrigan's vote violated a provision of the ethics law that lays out various relationships that should disqualify an official from voting, including the official's relatives and business associates.
The ethics panel said Carrigan should have abstained from voting because his friend and campaign manager, Carlos Vasquez, also worked as a consultant for the Red Hawk Land Co., which was backing the Lazy 8 casino project.
Related listings
-
Pa. appeals court upholds $188M Wal-Mart verdict
Lawyer Blogs 06/11/2011A $188 million class-action verdict against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Sam's Club over payment to employees for rest breaks and off-the-clock work was upheld Friday by a Pennsylvania appeals court. A three-judge Superior Court panel said there was suff...
-
Court sides with Massey in W.Va. mine appeal
Lawyer Blogs 06/10/2011A federal appeals court has sided with the former Massey Energy in a dispute over the company's investigation of last year's deadly Upper Big Branch mine explosion.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled Friday that Massey is ent...
-
Court says telephone companies must give access
Lawyer Blogs 06/09/2011The Supreme Court says large telephone companies have to provide their competitors discounted access to their network. The high court on Thursday unanimously ruled for Talk America, Inc. in its battle to make AT&T give it cost-based rates for usi...
New Rochelle, New York Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP, in New Rochelle, New York, immediately. We can answer all your questions and work with you to determine if you have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. The attorneys at our firm are determined to resolve even the most difficult of cases. We will work closely with you to determine the best course of action to get your claim or case resolved in the most efficient way possible. We will fight for your right to compensation! No one should have to suffer a financial burden from the result of another person’s carelessness. The attorneys at Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP will aggressively fight to ensure that justice is served on your behalf.