State bar wants new crack at disbarring Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The state bar wants another shot at stripping Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones of his law license, according to documents obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators.
In March, a hearing panel charged with deciding whether to discipline Jones voted to reprimand him instead of revoking or suspending his law license. The state bar urged the panel to disbar Jones for deleting text messages related to a controversial real estate development project near Red Rock Canyon. Moreover, it rejected outright the state bar's claim that Jones bribed then-county-commissioner and eventual Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak.
The panel — comprised entirely of volunteers — rejected outright the notion of bribery and explained to Jones, his lawyers and the state bar counsel that they opted to reprimand him because of so-called character evidence portraying Jones in a good light.
However, in recent filings with regard to Jones' disciplinary matter, the state bar counsel, Dan Hooge, requested a new hearing based on what they refer to as 'misconduct' by Jones' attorney, who Hooge wrote made 'improper closing arguments' which prejudiced the jury. Hooge also argues, in his April 28 motion, that the panel ignored instructions 'against using character evidence to determine guilt or innocence.'
'The cumulative effect of these improper arguments prejudiced the State Bar's case, denying it a fair hearing,' Hooge wrote. 'Each tactic—golden rule arguments, emotional appeals, vouching, and mocking—individually and collectively undermined the panel's ability to impartially evaluate the evidence.'
Hooge also said that Jones' attorney, former Clark County District Court Judge Rob Bare spoke for too long to the panel, indicating that Bare's four-hour closing argument 'was improper.'
Included in the 22 pages of memorandum and exhibits is a signed declaration by one of the three volunteer panelists, which was comprised of two volunteer attorneys and one member of the public. Attorney Rachel Wise, under the pains and penalties of perjury, wrote that the panel's deliberations were 'influenced by Respondent's counsel's improper tactics, including name-calling, crying, and golden rule violations.'
Wise wrote that the one member of the public empaneled to decide Jones' disciplinary matter 'voted emotionally.'
'I believe that the improper conduct from Respondent's counsel prejudiced the panel's ability to render a fair and impartial decision,' Wise wrote.
Jones did not respond to a request for comment. His attorney, Bare, did respond to the 8 News Now Investigators' request for comment, writing, 'Please review our opposition to the motion you reference. It speaks for itself.'
To that end, in his own motion, Bare did not mince words.
'The State Bar's motion seems to operate in an alternate universe where the Hearing Panel somehow gave Mr. Joens a free pass for the misconduct it ultimately found him guilty of, arguing that the decision to 'impose only a reprimand' suggests the panel was 'swayed' for improper reasons,' Bare wrote, calling the motion 'litigator's remorse.'
Bare also signed a written declaration under the pains and penalties of perjury, in which he took issue with some of the allegations in a separate writing from Wise's, an anonymous survey which ultimately was made public, in which she wrote Bare 'screamed' at the state bar's expert witness, UNLV Law Professor Benjamin Edwards.
The hearing, Wise wrote in the survey, gave her a 'two-day migraine.'
Edwards testified about whether and why, in his opinion, Jones committed bribery.
'My closing argument was reflective of the fact that I was defending two different bar complaints combined into one, which alleged various serious charges against Mr. Jones, including that he had committed a felony criminal act,' Bare wrote in his declaration. 'As the State Bar was seeking to permanently disbar Mr. Jones, I felt it was entirely necessary and appropriate to give the closing arguments that I did. It is unfortunate that Ms. Wise felt the need to resort calling me a '2 -year-old.''
This case is currently under automatic review by the Supreme Court of Nevada, with briefs due on June 19.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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