Justice Ron Parraguirre will become the new Chief Justice of Nevada’s Supreme Court. Justice Parraguirre, whose term on the Supreme Court began in 2004 and will end in 2011, will replace Justice James Hardesty as the administrative head of the state’s judicial branch and the public voice of the court system. Nevada customarily rotates the position of Chief Justice every year.
Parraguirre graduated from the University of San Diego law school and has been a Nevada judge since 1991. He has also served as counsel to the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on criminal law.
Dear Editor,
I’m writing this letter in an effort to bring to light the injustice that is being perpetrated by our public officials, four of whom are now up for re-election: Justices James Hardesty and Ron Parraguirre, Attorney General Masto and our governor, Jim Gibbons.
In May, Judge Brent Adams ordered Washoe County District Attorney, Dick Gammick to turn over the entire file in Mr. Nolan Klein’s case. On June 10, newly discovered evidence was found. On June 24, I appeared before the Nevada Pardons Board to bring it to their attention the acts within in the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office. I presented to the Pardons Board dozens of documents, including the hand-written notes, that a former assistant district attorney made on our motion for discovery that he was not going to turn over any of the materiality or exculpatory evidence despite a 1988 court order to do so. The Pardons Board knew that this attorney violated Brady v. Maryland by withholding all of the materiality and exculpatory evidence that showed another person was responsible for the crime in which my innocent brother, Nolan Klein, was convicted of 21 years ago.
On Nov. 19, the Pardons Board knew that the assistant district attorney had defied a court order to turn over all of the evidence in the case. They also knew that the newly discovered evidence that was found in the file that would not only clear Mr. Klein of the crime but newly discovered evidence was found that supports Mr. Klein’s claims in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that our AG Masto is trying to get dismissed because of Mr. Klein’s recent death.
One would think that they would have placed Mr. Klein on the November’s Agenda for an exoneration, but, no they would rather cover up the acts of the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office for the last 21 years. How many more innocent people will die in prison because they want to condone the bad acts of officials under the color of law? Could your loved one be next? We need transparency in government not more cover-ups. We, the voters, need to be heard. We must send a message that we are not going to condone their actions and vote them out of office. For those of you who were considering running for office, here is your opportunity to make a difference.
Tonja Brown
Carson City