Judge of the Day: Elliott Maynard
The men pictured above are not gay lov-ahs. But their relationship may be too close for comfort. On the left: Chief Justice Elliott E. Maynard, of West Virginia, and today's Judge of the Day. On the right: Don L. Blankenship, chief executive of Massey Energy. The setting: exotic Monaco.
From a piece by Adam Liptak in today's New York Times:
A justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court and a powerful coal-company executive met in Monte Carlo in the summer of 2006, sharing several meals even as the executive’s companies were appealing a $50 million jury verdict against them to the court.A little more than a year later, the justice, Elliott E. Maynard, voted with the majority in a 3-to-2 decision in favor of the coal companies.
Insert West Virginia joke here.
Justice Maynard, who is now West Virginia’s chief justice, and Don L. Blankenship, the chief executive of Massey Energy, were “vacationing together,” according to a motion seeking Justice Maynard’s disqualification, which was filed on Monday.A spokesman for Massey Energy disputed that characterization.
“Both Blankenship and Justice Maynard were separately vacationing in the Monte Carlo area,” said the spokesman, Jeff Gillenwater. “They were not vacationing together. They did meet occasionally for meals — lunches and dinners.”
And maybe on other occasions, too?
The motion included photographs showing the men together. The time stamps on the photographs, apparently taken by someone who had joined the men during their time together, indicated that they met on July 3, 4 and 5, 2006....Ten of the photographs attached to the motion were filed under seal. They showed, the motion said, “two females apparently traveling with them as companions.” The men are single.
Motion Ties W. Virginia Justice to Coal Executive [New York Times]
(33) Comments
Which state is most corrupt?
-- Louisiana
-- New Jersey
-- West Virginia
Answer:
-- Nevada
New Jersey, BY FAR.
But, two guys vacationing together, swinging together, and colluding together... if that is illegal, then lock me up!
Re: the caption, nothing prevents the men from being in bed together, along with the two female travel companions.
Menage a quatre, anyone?
big deal....
Be real people, what is the appeal of power if you can't abuse it?
With paltry salaries compared to the private sector, how are we supposed to attract the best and brightest to the bench if don't allow judges to supplement their compensation with help of the parties? A trip to Monte Carlo seems to my mind to be on the low end of influence peddling. Besides, isn't this just another form of zealous advocacy? Would anyone really want to live in a country where money and power don't help your cause?
I don't understand Lat's gay approach to this. Were the two guys hooking up? Do any of the pictures show them hooking up? Am I missing something? I can see why this is a big deal, but there's no sex angle as far as I can tell.
10:56:
They're single. 'Nuff said.
10:56 - sex sells, there's your angle.
These guys are total pirates. Any self-respecting NINJA of a justice or coal co. exec. would know better than to vacation out in the open.
10:31...it is Louisiana. Louisiana makes sub-Saharan Africa look above board.
Lat infers gay-ness to any two hot guys. Fantasy land!
1. No gay connection. The photos under seal are of FEMALE ESCORTS, suggesting two heterosexual players. Who cares?
2. Semi-unrelated topic - On NPR this morning, the automakers were complaining that their high-level executives and lobbyists could not even get an audience with the current administration and the democratic candidates were saying how wrong that is and that it'll be different in a democratic administration. But aren't the democrats usually the ones complaining about big-business (e.g. oil) having too much access to the current administration? What's the difference between oil and cars?
They look gay in the picture. Look at the original picture in the Times, where they look especially gay.
11:06--
2. Answer- Unions.
2. Government dependance -- mentality of work-force. Think typical auto-worker (blue collar, union, entitled, safe working environment) versus typical oil worker (blue collar, rugged individualism, quick, dangerous money)
Declining industry (in US) versus expanding industry -- who needs big government more?
When did ATL become a gay legal tabloid? Boring.
I almost mouth-puked thinking about these two guys -- sweaty and naked -- pounding escorts or eachother. thanks Lat, you sick bastard!
LOL@ "Think typical auto-worker (blue collar, union, entitled, safe working environment) versus typical oil worker (blue collar, rugged individualism, quick, dangerous money)"
I can smell the Fed Soc on you.
I almost mouth-puked thinking about these two guys -- sweaty and naked -- pounding escorts or eachother. thanks Lat, you sick bastard!
Reports of gay sex = useless without pictures.
11:23 -- I doubt Fed Soc is my bag... but certainly some Ayn Rand.
Do you dispute the characterizations -- take out the "rugged individualism" romanticism -- and you have two very different workers.
Nudes or ban
I think that's the point of Lat's caption - that the photos under seal show that the guys are not gay, but instead enjoy female escrots.
two female whats?
female e-scrots -- short for internet scrotums ("e-scrots"). I for one avoid females with "scrots" but these guys are freaks!
11:06:
A product desired by the American consumer.
Wow those are two of the least fabulous homos I have ever seen. They'd be banned from North Halstead for their frumpiness.
You tards, this has nothing to do with whether or not they're homos (although the photo is priceless). How about conflict of interest? See, e.g., Canon 2 of the West Virginia Code of Judicial Conduct (which just tracks the Model Code).
I mean, judicial corruption is nothing new in West Virginia, but this is pretty egregious:
"A justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court and a powerful coal-company executive met in Monte Carlo in the summer of 2006, sharing several meals even as the executive’s companies were appealing a $50 million jury verdict against them to the court.
"A little more than a year later, the justice, Elliott E. Maynard, voted with the majority in a 3-to-2 decision in favor of the coal companies."
You forgot to mention one of the best parts of this story--Judge Maynard goes by the nickname "Spike."
http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2008011427
11:28 - yeah, two totally different workers . . .
One lives closer to an auto plant than an oil rig and the other lives closer to an oil rig than an auto plant.
K thnx by.
West Virginia's judiciary is a complete embarrassment. Only two levels (trial level and the Supreme Court), elected, all political hacks. Reading the occasional WV opinion in law school made me more ashamed to be from the state than I already was.
having lived in wbgv at one time and having a great deal of affection for the state, I believe that you have been unnecessarily hard on these guys and missed a point that redeems the judge.
what is interesting here is the fact that a wbgv judge even knew how to get to monte carlo, let alone to arrange to meet someone there. ordinarily one would have expected the two to meet in where? nitro,wva at worst and the greenbrier in white sulfur at best, but monte carlo? that took some ingenuity. ease off on these guys. after all its just coal guys arguing about who gets to finish raping wva and the best method of going about the task.
Maynard is crooked. YOU CANNOT TRUST HIM. He needs BOOTED from the BENCH ASAP. Just one more corrupt hillbilly.