āThe last time the Legislature engaged in anything remotely like this was 1989, when state Treasurer A. James Manchin was impeached by the House after the state lost $279 million invested in the bond market. He resigned before the Senate took up the impeachment measure.ā
Uncle of Joe. Quite a state they have there!
Very conflicted. I think this is a power grab by the Republicans. And I think that these bozo justices need to be booted out.
I donāt understand this story. We need to be told about the political composition of the judges and those driving their impeachment. Iām exceedingly reluctant to take this episode as a dispute about housekeeping expenditures.
I would like to know more about the budget & approval process for spending, and the condition of the old offices. Also about similar items in Republican offices. Also, what is SOP for overspending cases?
I donāt approve of govt. overspending. Nor does āboth sides do itā justify such. But this is clearly a power grab, so unequal or targeted treatment is pertinant.
One of the four, Loughry, a Republican, has already been indicted and suspended, so at least in that case weāre talking about more than some careless overspending.
Robin Davis, a Democrat, has resigned, and there will be an election to replace her, so thatās one that the Governor wonāt be appointing.
Walker, a Republican, has her own baggage: https://www.propublica.org/article/west-virginia-supreme-court-justice-beth-walker-gave-natural-gas-a-big-victory-and-shortchanged-residents
Workman is a Democrat.
Thanks for the background.
Are we to conclude that Republican justices didnāt renovate their offices?
I was surprised at the 2/2 split in party affiliation. Makes it tough to characterize this as a wholly partisan attack.
Difficult to find any better info about spending procedures - this story is, not surprisingly, being covered almost exclusively as a political one, not as a āgood governanceā story. Loughry was the real runaway train on lavish decorating, while the others could probably be labeled āout of touch,ā at the very least. No one needs $56k glass countertops or $28k rugs in her office.
Iām mixed on the overspending thing. On the one hand, overspending. On the other hand, this is the effiing state supreme court, and it should be a showplace rather than just a bunch of people sitting around battered old linoleum-topped desks. So especially if they got to this point by having a surplus as an independent state agency, you have to wonder about the legislature suddenly deciding to replace the whole court.
But I doubt that the Justicesā offices are public spaces.
Entirely right MrNeu. There was a big kerfuffle about whether the media would be allowed to tour the offices when state legislators went-in for a fact-finding tour. In the end, reporters were allowed in
And since itās the Supreme Court, which hears only oral arguments, there are never any āconferences in chambers,ā as there would be in a trial court.
On the other hand, Iāve heard that a blue suede sofa is a real babe magnet, so who can blame Loughry?
OK. and I want the GOP to take note that even supreme court justices should be impeached when there are financial dirty tricks involved - kavanaugh and thomas, say, for instance, maybe, perhaps, might be niceā¦
fify. His days will be few and numbered. Thomas will resign, years too late, when the great Restoration of Legitimacy takes wing.
Hard to believe that this sort of overspending, which I have not heard has been called illegal, would lead to impeachment. And there already is a national trend at the state level to turn judicial elections into partisan battles, and this would seem to fit that mold.
On the other hand, this is West Va., home of the unforgettable Don Blankenship, who bought himself a Supreme Court seat in 2004 or so. Does anyone know the context and background? The court is shedding justices at an amazing rate already through resignations that seem to be āfor cause.ā
The amounts donāt necessarily seem way out of line. How the money was allocated and approved though seems really critical. If you are given $35,000 to renovate your offices and want to spend $32,000 on a couch, well, thatās a choice I guess, and a stupid one. But spending $7500 for a permanent fixture like a wooden floor seems okay to me,particularly if the floor needed work anyway.
Wasnāt there someone approving the expenditures?
I agree. Maybe the legislature should impeach itself for passing such loosey-goosey laws. Why are the justices setting pay levels?
One should think laws relating to judge/justice remuneration are fairly prescriptive. Building/office construction/renovation should fall under a state building/property management and procurement agency in coordination with a judicial administration agency. The notion that a state supreme court justice has unrestricted signature authority for tens of millions of dollars boggles the mind.
This makes an excellent precedent for us to impeach Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. Roberts and Alilto too.