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 York Commercial Litigation Law Firm - Woods Lonergan PLLC
Founded in 1993 by Managing Partner James F. Woods, Woods Lonergan PLLC has built a strong reputation as a resourceful and industrious firm that provides clients with clear, concise, and straightforward answers to their most challenging legal issues. Partner Lawrence R. Lonergan, who joined the firm in 2008, has been a friend and colleague to Mr. Woods for over 40 years and shares the same business philosophy. Woods Lonergan PLLC’s collective experience and expertise enables the firm to expeditiously and effectively analyze the increasing challenges clients face in an evolving business and legal world, in many instances, avoiding unnecessary time and expense to our clients. Our mission is simple: provide cutting-edge expertise and sound advice in select areas of the law for corporate and business clients. We thrive on providing each client with personalized attention, forceful representation, and a collaborative team effort that embraces collective knowledge.