Zephyr Cove man to run for Nevada Supreme Court

John Mason of Zephyr Cove on Thursday made his candidacy for the Nevada Supreme Court official in Reno and Las Vegas press conferences.

Mason, former chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, said earlier he was filing for the seat now held by Deborah Agosti because he was troubled by the court's decision last summer on the tax issue.

The court ruled in July the two-thirds requirement for lawmakers to increase taxes in Nevada must "give way" to the need to fund education.

"In effect, the court directed the Legislature to take the very action that the people, through their lawfully-passed constitutional amendment, prohibited," he said.

The ruling helped break the deadlock preventing lawmakers from passing a tax plan last summer, but has been sharply criticized by a number of people.

Mason said he will commit to "give the plain meaning of our constitution its full judicial force.

"The people of Nevada deserve seven justices who are absolutely committed to upholding the people's law," he said.

Mason has never been a judge but said when he announced plans to run he has both the temperament and legal knowledge to serve. He is an entertainment lawyer who has claimed several music credits of his own.

But his integrity was called into question earlier this month when his claim to have played guitar for the 1960s rock group "The Surfaris" - best known for the song "Wipe Out" - was challenged as a lie. He is not listed as one of the group's members.

Mason was chairman of the Republican Party in Nevada from 1995 to 2000. He is also on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.