Gov. Justice Calls on Lawmakers to Again Consider Impeaching Loughry

Gov. Jim Justice has called a special session of the West Virginia Legislature to again consider the impeachment of suspended state Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry.

Lawmakers will return to the matter Tuesday. They will already be in Charleston for their monthly interim committee meetings.

Loughry and three other justices of the state’s high court were impeached in August for their roles in a nearly year-long spending scandal involving lavish office renovations and the use of state resources for private gain.

State senators tried and acquitted Justice Beth Walker in early October. But the remaining impeachment trials came to a sudden halt when an ad hoc bench of the state Supreme Court deemed the impeachments unconstitutional and cited procedural flaws in the House of Delegates.

In separate but related charges, Loughry was found guilty on 11 federal counts, including fraud, witness tampering and making false statements. His sentencing is scheduled for January 16, but his attorney has filed motions for a new trial.