Winehole23
10-20-2018, 12:26 PM
Really weird story. WV impeached all its justices, with credible justification, for abusing state funds.
The WV Supreme Court then empaneled substitute justices who ruled the legislature has no authority to impeach under the disclosed circumstances.
Last month, the West Virginia legislature voted to impeach the entire state Supreme Court on the grounds that they misappropriated state funds in various ways. That was startling enough. But then the West Virginia Supreme Court itself decided to fight back. That’s not a new thing in West Virginia—in 1997, the State Supreme Court ruled in a dispute over parking spaces for court personnel that “courts have inherent authority to require resources such as sufficient funds for operating expenses,” and therefore that county judges could override state budgetary restrictions. But this time, the Court went much further. It issued a unanimous decision (https://www.courtswv.gov/supreme-court/docs/fall2018/18-0816.pdf)* (written by substitute justices, since the justices themselves are being impeached and had to recuse themselves), holding that the state legislature has no authority to impeach under these circumstances.https://sandefur.typepad.com/freespace/2018/10/west-virginias-fascinating-constitutional-crisis.html
The WV Supreme Court then empaneled substitute justices who ruled the legislature has no authority to impeach under the disclosed circumstances.
Last month, the West Virginia legislature voted to impeach the entire state Supreme Court on the grounds that they misappropriated state funds in various ways. That was startling enough. But then the West Virginia Supreme Court itself decided to fight back. That’s not a new thing in West Virginia—in 1997, the State Supreme Court ruled in a dispute over parking spaces for court personnel that “courts have inherent authority to require resources such as sufficient funds for operating expenses,” and therefore that county judges could override state budgetary restrictions. But this time, the Court went much further. It issued a unanimous decision (https://www.courtswv.gov/supreme-court/docs/fall2018/18-0816.pdf)* (written by substitute justices, since the justices themselves are being impeached and had to recuse themselves), holding that the state legislature has no authority to impeach under these circumstances.https://sandefur.typepad.com/freespace/2018/10/west-virginias-fascinating-constitutional-crisis.html