This diary has been updated at 6:39PM PST to show the second and third impeachments handed down Monday.
The West Virginia House voted to impeach Justice Allen Loughry 64-33 on Monday. This came after two hours of debate and almost two months after Justice Loughry was arrested and indicted on 32 counts of intentionally defrauding the people of West Virginia. It was just a few days ago that the West Virginia House Judiciary Committee approved 14 articles of impeachment against four of the sitting West Virginian Supreme Court Justices.
This is all a result of reports concerning the spending habits of the WV Supreme Court justices. Specifically, an investigation uncovered particularly egregious spending on the part of Justice Loughry in renovating his offices and using tax payer-funded gas cards.
The House was to consider and make recommendations on 13 other articles later Monday, including allegations Loughry lied about taking home a $42,000 antique desk and a $32,000 suede leather couch; and that Chief Justice Margaret Workman and justices Robin Davis and Beth Walker made excessively expensive upgrades to their offices.
Justice Loughry was suspended, and House Democrats and Republicans pushed for Loughry to resign. Democrats wanted a step forward toward impeachment, but Republicans dragged their heels, with Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, pooh-poohing the idea initially.
“I think it may be the single dumbest, most ridiculous political stunt that I’ve seen in my time in the Legislature,” Carmichael said at the time. “It’s just a publicity stunt. We should be so past that. I think whoever introduces [impeachment proceedings] should be ashamed.”
But as the reports came to light, including a legislative investigation, even Rep. Carmichael had to cry uncle. Or maybe Carmichael saw a chance to game the state’s Supreme Court. This is because in dragging their heels, the Republicans were able to run impeachment up against an important deadline. According to NPR, West Virginia has until 11:59 PM on Tuesday, August 14, to “trigger special elections for any vacancies on the court’s bench.” When that deadline passes, any open seats become an appointment of the governor, former Democrat and now Republican Jim Justice. Democratic Justice Menis Ketchum already resigned and took a plea deal, forcing the special election for his seat this November.
The other justices named are not in the clear just yet, and two are Democrats. The Republican Party hasn’t been known for their support of the democratic process, and it’s unlikely they will become enlightened to it any time soon.
UPDATE: As if they heard Trump’s tel-tale heart, the West Virginia House voted to impeach those two Democratic justices Margret Workman and Robin Davis. Justice Davis was the partisan elected position—meaning the electorate voted her onto the state Court. Justice Davis’ impeachment articles are similar to Loughry’s, based on large expenditures on “office renovations.” Justice Workman’s impeachment according to AP:
The article says Workman and Justice Robin Davis signed documents in their roles as chief justices allowing for senior status judges to be paid higher than allowed wages. Lawmakers say the overpayments violated state law and stopped when they were challenged by the Internal Revenue Service.
