Tag: Impeachment

House Judiciary Committee Announces Additional Impeachment Meetings, Managers

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has announced additional meetings to continue the impeachment process of one or more West Virginia Supreme Court justices.

House Judiciary Committee chairman John Shott has announced the additional meetings, which will take place Thursday, July 12 through Saturday, July 14.

The committee will then recess to organize additional witnesses and gather further evidence. It will then reconvene the following week for another three days — beginning Thursday, July 19.

Chairman Shott also announced the appointment of a team of bipartisan impeachment “managers” who will oversee the process going forward.

In addition to Shott, the legislative managers include Republican Delegates Roger Hanshaw and Ray Hollen as well as Democrats Andrew Byrd and Rodney Miller.

“I am confident that we can proceed in an impartial and non-partisan manner commensurate with the seriousness of the assignment entrusted to us,” Chairman Shott said in a written statement announcing the meetings and impeachment managers.

Last week, Delegates adopted House Resolution 201, authorizing the chamber’s Judiciary Committee to investigate possible impeachments of all five of the state’s supreme court justices.

While much attention has been paid to Justice Allen Loughry — who has been indicted on federal charges and suspended without pay — all other justices were named in the resolution.

 

West Virginia Lawmakers Mull Court Justice Impeachment

West Virginia lawmakers have begun the rare process of deciding whether impeachment proceedings are necessary just days after a state Supreme Court justice was charged in a 22-count criminal indictment.

The House Judiciary Committee met without taking action Tuesday. Earlier the House of Delegates voted to have the committee investigate any justice but decided against setting a deadline.

Justice Allen Loughry pleaded not guilty in federal court last week. He was suspended over allegations he repeatedly lied about using his office for personal gain.

The committee heard from former delegate Mark Harman, who was involved in impeachment proceedings against state Treasurer A. James Manchin in 1989. The House impeached Manchin after the loss of $279 million in state investments, but he resigned before the state Senate took up the measure.

Gov. Justice Issues Special Session Call on Possible Supreme Court Impeachments

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Gov. Jim Justice has issued a special session call for the West Virginia Legislature to consider matters related to the removal of one or more Justices of the state’s Supreme Court of Appeals. The special session will begin Tuesday at noon.

Gov. Justice’s proclamation came Monday after Senate President Mitch Carmichael and House Speaker Pro Tempore John Overington sent a formal letter requesting the call.

House Speaker Tim Armstead had previously expressed interest in running for a seat on the Supreme Court bench in 2020 and, therefore, has asked to be excused from participating in matters related to the impeachment proceedings of Supreme Court Justices.

“I have not decided whether I will seek such a position regardless of whether such position would be up for election in 2020 or would become open at an earlier time. However, the process followed by the Legislature in relation to any impeachment process must be free from even the appearance of any conflict,” Armstead said in a written statement Monday.

“Therefore, while I do not believe there is an actual conflict, I have decided that the decisions as to whether to ask the Governor to call the Legislature into Special Session and the initial disposition of any resolution relative to impeachment of any Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals should be made by the Speaker Pro Tempore, Delegate John Overington.”

 

On Friday, Armstead — along with Carmichael — asked the Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary to meet to begin the process of reviewing the possibility of impeachment proceedings. That committee met Monday and — during a recess — Carmichael and Overington’s request for a special session was issued.

Gov. Justice’s special session call doesn’t specify the Supreme Court Justices who will be considered for impeachment, although Justice Allen Loughry is expected to be one of them.

Loughry has been indicted on 22 counts of federal charges, including fraud, witness tampering and making false statements.  He was also served with a statement of 32 charges by the state court system’s Judicial Investigations Commission.

Following the JIC issuing its statement of charges, Loughry was suspended without pay.

The charges in both matters stem from reports in news media related to lavish spending for renovations to the Supreme Court offices as well as other improper use of state resources — including furniture, computers and vehicles — for personal reasons.

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