Discipline Case Against Attorney Will Not Be Reheard

A federal appeals panel refused Tuesday to rehear a discipline case against civil rights attorney Stephen Yagman, a victory that allows the sometimes controversial lawyer to continue practicing.

Yagman, who was accused of trying to circumvent the random judge selection process used by federal courts, had been suspended from practicing for two years by a disciplinary board of the Central District Bar. The suspension was overturned by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on May 30.

“My speech is chilled but not iced, and now I can get back to suing cops,” said Yagman, who specializes in police abuse cases.

The case against Yagman began in 1993 when a panel of trial judges ruled that comments made by the attorney to a newspaper reporter were designed to get U.S. District Judge William Keller to remove himself from future cases involving Yagman.

Yagman, quoted at the time in the Daily Journal, said Keller “has a penchant for sanctioning Jewish lawyers,” which was “evidence of anti-Semitism.”