In December, the Catholic League filed a complaint against Rebekah Nett and Naomi Isaacson for anti-Catholic comments made in a Minnesota courtroom. Nett was counsel to Isaacson, herself an Orthodox Jewish attorney. In June, the Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, the office that we filed complaint with, issued charges against Nett.
It is not certain what the outcome will be; the final decision is made by the Lawyers Board Panel. If there are sanctions, they could range from a reprimand to disbarment. We called for disbarment.
Nett called the judge, Nancy Dreher, and other court personnel, “dirty Catholics,” adding that “Catholic deeds throughout the [sic] history have been bloody and murderous.” Dreher, who is not Catholic, was called by Isaacson “Popess Dreher,” and “a secret Catholic Knight Witch Hunter.” There were many other anti-Catholic smears made by these attorneys.
Nett got into further trouble when she refused to pay a $5,000 fine; she wanted to pay $300 a month, but was ordered by Judge Dreher to pay $1,000 a month. Dreher agreed to a new pay schedule.
In April, we were asked by the Supreme Court of Wisconsin (Nett is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Wisconsin) to reply to Nett’s contention that she is really not anti-Catholic, and that she has Catholic friends. Bill Donohue wasn’t buying it. He told the Supreme Court, “No doubt the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan has been known to consort with his black buddies.”
