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The Utah Supreme Court has reversed the disbarment of attorney John Ciardi, who lost his license to practice law in the state in 2014 after disrupting court proceedings in St. George and making "offensive" allegations of bias against judges.

In a 5-0 opinion issued Thursday, the court said the presumptive sanction for cases of this type is suspension, not disbarment, and reinstated Ciardi's right to practice law immediately.

Writing for the court, Justice Christine Durham said that "a lengthy suspension, certainly one as long as the two years that have passed since the district court disbarred Mr. Ciardi, is an adequate response to the specific behavior charged."

Ciardi, whose law practice was based in Ivins, had been a member of the Utah Bar since 2006.

The disciplinary matter began with an incident in 2011 in 5th District Court, where Ciardi was not present when his clients' case was called, so Judge G. Rand Beacham dismissed it.

According to court records, Ciardi entered the courtroom during the next hearing and interrupted to ask the judge to recall the case. Beacham asked Ciardi to sit down but he continued to argue and was escorted out of the courtroom by a bailiff, court records say.

As he was being led away, Ciardi caused a disturbance and continued to yell and make disparaging remarks about Beacham in the hallway, the records say. He then went to the clerk's office and was eventually escorted out of the courthouse after becoming belligerent.

At a hearing before the Utah Supreme Court Ethics and Discipline Committee, Ciardi made disparaging comments about judges and the courts and referred to witnesses as liars and idiots, according to court records. Following the hearing, the Utah Bar Office of Professional Conduct (OPC) filed a formal complaint against the lawyer.

In March 2014, a trial on the complaint was held before 5th District Judge Gary Stott. Ciardi did not appear at the trial and after hearing from witnesses, Stott found the lawyer had violated two Utah Rules of Professional Conduct by disrupting a court and by exhibiting conduct that was prejudicial to the administration of justice.

Stott noted that suspension was the presumptive sanction but ordered Ciardi disbarred based on aggravating circumstances, including a pattern of misconduct and obstruction of the disciplinary proceedings. Stott said Ciardi's filings in the case were "replete with derogatory comments about judges and the court system in Utah" and that he had repeatedly interrupted witnesses while they were testifying.

In reversing the disbarment, the Supreme Court said statements in Ciardi's filings and his obstructionist behavior had never been charged as misconduct and could not be used as aggravating factors.

"We note that in so holding, we do not take the view that there should be no consequences for Mr. Ciardi's reckless and offensive allegations of bias, discrimination, and incompetence of Utah judges and Utah courts contained in his pleadings before the district court and this court," the ruling says. "Should the OPC deem it advisable, these actions would certainly warrant investigation."

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC