Deputy AG takes post with governor

CARSON CITY -- An attorney who handled death penalty cases and civil rights complaints from the state prison is the new legal counsel to Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Keith Munro, senior deputy attorney general, was appointed Friday as the lawyer for the governor at a salary of $77,294. He succeeds Scott Scherer, who moved up to chief of staff for the governor.

Munro has worked in the office of Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa since May 1993 and has handled both criminal and civil cases. He has fought appeals by death row inmates Thomas Nevius of Las Vegas and Jimmy Neuschafer of Carson City. Neuschafer died in prison of natural causes.

Munro also was involved in the case of killer Richard Moran, who wanted to be executed. The attorney general's office opposed the unwanted efforts to save his life, and Moran was put to death in 1996.

Solicitor General Mark Ghan credits Munro with his defense of civil rights complaints by state prison inmates, adding that he is in part responsible for the drop in filing of those suits.

Munro, who leaves the attorney general's office to join the governor's staff, had supervised five lawyers and had 55 pending cases including defense of a suit by a state worker who worked at the license plate factory at the prison. The individual was accidentally shot with rubber bullets by a correctional officer.

"Keith's experience with complex legal issues and his knowledge of state government make him an ideal choice for this position," Guinn said.

Munro said he hopes to use his background as a criminal prosecutor, civil litigator and general legal counsel to help the governor in any way he can.

He began his legal career in Oklahoma, where he served as a research assistant for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, and as an assistant indigent defender for the Oklahoma indigent defense system.

He gained a bachelor of arts degree from Southern Methodist University and his law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law.

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