The West Virginia Supreme Court has been overrun by scandal. Quite literally overrun, to the point that there soon may be no West Virginia Supreme Court for a period of time. One Justice has already resigned and a committee of the West Virginia State House of Representatives has recommended impeaching all four remaining Justices and the effort is expected to be successful, with the Supreme Court completely emptied out and likely non-functional for a number of months.
The scandals particularly relate to misuse of expenses and the wrongful compensation of certain senior judges around the State, but it all ultimately comes from West Virginia’s practice of electing its Justices and Judges, in partisan elections until 2016, and non-partisan from thence forward. The money flowing in judicial elections is increasing by leaps and bounds and it is leading to corrupt behavior.
Florida faced this situation in the early and mid 1970’s, with 5 of its 7 Justices ultimately leaving the Supreme Court in disgrace for various offenses. However, there was a silver lining in this scandal. Then Governor Reuben Askew channeled the shock and revulsion of the population of the people of Florida to good use and was able to obtain the passage of a State Constitutional Amendment ending elections of appellate level judges in Florida and establishing the current system of merit selection and periodic retention elections that ended the corruption and established one of the most ethical and efficient State appellate judiciaries in the country.
It would be good if West Virginia did the same thing as Florida and put an end to judicial elections and establish merit selection for all appellate judges (and frankly for all trial judges as well).
I surely hope this gets fixed. We have enough problems with those authorities that are supposed to be above reproach, actually being corrupt and destroying the honor and esteem the public holds for these institutions. The judicial branch exemplifies what is honorable and just in our society. Again…I hope this gets taken care of quickly and a solution is reached to keep this from reoccurring.
All four remaining West Virginia Supreme Court Justices have been impeached by the West Virginia House of Representatives, it now goes to trial in the West Virginia Senate.
A West Virginia Circuit Judge temporarily appointed to the already vacant seat on the Supreme Court will preside over the Senate trial.
Modern judicial elections in the States are increasingly expensive and favor those attorneys who are the most ruthless and good at fundraising and those that can wheel and deal to create electoral alliances. Just the same type of people that are most likely to have the least concern for budgetary matters once elected.
And all these campaign donors have to be repaid somehow. In the executive and legislative branches, it would be by promulgation of favorable policies.
However, quid pro quo’s don’t go over too well in trying cases. So those donors must be repaid indirectly. Perhaps by buying expensive office furniture and renovations from companies that are clients of the donating attorney’s.
I assure you, there IS a money trail. It may not be direct, it may not be obvious, but it is there. People don’t donate thousands of dollars without seeking some sort of favorable treatment.
The best way to stop this is to end the money trail entirely. Merit selection excludes any possibility of corrupting monetary involvement.
Going to have to ask to see that trail, you are claiming they spent a lot of money on office furniture to repay campaign donors who sell furniture? I think it is far more likely they just like expensive furniture.
