The North Carolina State Bar today suspended the law license of state Rep. Nick Mackey for three years. The Bar found that the Charlotte lawyer engaged in "acts of dishonesty" and a "pattern of misconduct."

The news came less than 24 hours before Mackey faces fellow Democrat Rodney Moore in tomorrow’s primary.

Mackey could not be immediately reached for comment.

Moore, in an interview with the Charlotte Observer, called the news sad for the district, which covers parts of north central and eastern Mecklenburg.

"Hopefully we can make a change tomorrow at the polls and move forward," he was quoted as saying. "I don’t wish that on anybody, but you have to take care of the people’s business first."

The Bar’s decision to suspend Mackey’s law license stems from questions he answered in his 2002 application to take the state bar exam.

In one question, which asked if he had ever failed to pay income taxes, Mackey did not disclose that he had failed to fully pay federal taxes for 1997, 1999 and 2002.

In another question that dealt with professional misconduct, Mackey, a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer, failed to disclose allegations that he engaged in misconduct at an off-duty security job in December 1991.

Mackey later resigned from CMPD while under investigation that he was untruthful to a department review board. The Bar said Mackey also failed to update his application to include the latter investigation, as required by the organization.

Mackey’s conduct, the bar said, “reflects adversely on his trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer.”

If certain conditions are met, Mackey may apply to have his license reinstated after a year.

Read the official decision.
 

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