2 W.Va. state Supreme Court justices impeached; others in crosshairs
West Virginia lawmakers have impeached two state Supreme Court justices accused in a spending scandal part of an extraordinary move by lawmakers to consider putting the entire court on trial in the Senate.
The House of Delegates voted Monday to send an impeachment article against Justice Robin Davis to the state Senate for trial after earlier impeaching indicted Justice Allen Loughry. The charges against both were related to office renovations. Davis spent more than $500,000 on her office and Loughry spent more than $363,000 on his.
Republican Delegate Tom Fast of Fayette County says he’s seen the work done in Davis’ office, including track lighting on the floor.
He says the work was “over the top” and the impeachment article “is one of the more easy ones” for him to support.
The House was to consider and make recommendations on 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 justice Beth Walker made excessively expensive upgrades to their offices.
Some legislators said they didn’t support impeaching any justice for wasteful spending, only for articles pertaining to lying, cheating or stealing.
But John Shott, a Mercer County Republican who chaired the House Judiciary Committee hearings that drew up the impeachment articles, asked whether there is public confidence in the court, and if not, “we need to take action to try to rebuild that trust.”
Several lawmakers noted the Supreme Court has a separate budget and is currently allowed to spend as it sees fit. But Shott said the court should spend that money wisely “and for the benefit of its citizens.”
A proposed constitutional amendment this fall would bring the state courts’ budget partly under legislative control.