Crime

West Virginia Impeaches Entire State Supreme Court, Will Return To Trial By Combat During Changeover, Probably

Joking aside, impeaching all of these judges seems to be the right move.

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Huntington, WV. Which probably only looks this nice while high on heroin laced with fentanyl. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Up here in “liberal elite” land, the news that West Virginia impeached all of their state supreme court judges was met with some skepticism. It is a dramatic move, from a state not known for its thoughtful consideration of public policy. My elitist, kneejerk reaction upon reading the headline was that West Virginia threw the baby out with the moonshine, probably because a few judges refused to grant the right of prima nocta to some coal baron.

But, you know, one of the things that liberal elites like to do is read, and when you read why the West Virginia House Judiciary Committee passed 14 counts of impeachment against their remaining state supreme judges, it kind of looks like trying to remove the whole lot of them was the only right thing to do.

Each judge is charged with maintaining an “unnecessary and lavish” lifestyle “amid an atmosphere of entitlement.” Again, that doesn’t sound like it would get a judge impeached in a “real” state, until you get to the specific allegations. From the ABA Journal:

All four justices are accused of overspending on office renovations, and failing to establish policies for the use of state resources, including cars and computers.

Among the four justices is Allen Loughry, who was suspended without pay before he was indicted in June on federal charges that include fraud, lying to federal agents and trying to influence the grand jury testimony of a court employee.

The other justices named in the impeachment articles are Chief Justice Margaret Workman and Justices Robin Davis and Beth Walker.

The criminal charges against Loughry are based on allegations that he used a government vehicle and credit card to buy gas on personal trips, lied about his involvement in pricey renovations at the court, and used a state-owned antique desk at his home. He is charged in eight draft articles of impeachment, the most of any justice.

Loughry is accused of spending $363,000 to remodel his office. Davis, Walker and Workman are accused of spending nearly $742,000 combined with Davis accounting for more than $500,000.

West Virginia gives its judiciary discretion over its own budget.

Look, I ride hard for judicial pay increases, but this just sounds like graft. Who in the hell needs $742,000 for an office remodel in West Virginia? You can buy a quarter of the state with that kind of money. West Virginia judges should not be living like East Virginia lobbyists.

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The State Supreme Court normally has five justices. One, Menis Ketchum, already resigned for using state vehicles without logging them as tax benefits. The other four are caught up in this remodeling scandal. Two of them are Democrats, two of them are Republicans, this is not about politics, this is about so unreliable assholes on their high court.

They all need to go. Let’s hope West Virginia chooses its next group of judges a little more carefully. I’ll get the nominations rolling by throwing out Hall of Famer Randy Moss. He can pay for his office with straight cash, homey.

Amid ‘atmosphere of entitlement,’ 4 remaining justices on top W.Va. court targeted for impeachment [ABA Journal]

Elie Mystal is the Executive Editor of Above the Law and the Legal Editor for More Perfect. He can be reached @ElieNYC on Twitter, or at elie@abovethelaw.com. He will resist.

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