Salty language perhaps made by West Wendover Justice of the Peace Reese Melville made more than three and a half years ago will result in a public wrist slapping by the Judicial Discipline Panel later this month.
According to Melville’s attorney David Lockie the judge agreed to public admonishment for violating judicial conduct rules and will face a public hearing before a Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline panel March 30.
Melville agreed to the discipline in a stipulation filed by the commission last Friday.
“Reese told me he didn’t even remember saying that,” Lockie said. “ But he also said he well may have. Judge Melville is a stand up guy. He never tried to evade the issue. And what he was accused of while against the rules did not result in any miscarriage of justice or subversion of anyone’s rights.”
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The stipulation says Melville made inappropriate remarks in the presence of witnesses about his former bailiff, Joel Torres, who was named in a criminal complaint alleging domestic violence.
The commission also says Melville had improper contact with Torres’ attorney, and two years later failed to disqualify himself in another legal matter involving Torres.
The discipline hearing is March 30 in Las Vegas.
Melville was elected in 2006 and faces two challengers in his reelection bid this year.
While the alleged remarks were supposedly made in the fall of 2008, the formal complaint was only made in April 2011 two and a half years later.
Given the fact that Melville is up for reelection several sources close to the case speculated that the timing was not purely coincidental.
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“Melville supposedly said something inappropriate,” said one source. “Instead of calling him on it then and there, they wait two and a half years to file a complaint? If the person filing knew anything about how long the average investigation takes, they would have known the result would come out around election time, convenient isn’t it?”
