The Charleston Daily Mail has a story today about proposed legislation which would reduce the pension payments that state judges must currently make to the Judges’ Retirement System. Under the rule change, many circuit judges and Supreme Court justices would see a bump in pay of more than $4,000 per year. As Ry Rivard reports of the legislation: If the bill passes, it would
As the 2012 legislative session progresses, we’re getting a clearer picture of what’s likely to take place. And while this year’s session started with a decidedly “pro-jobs” theme — aimed at taking advantage of the state’s Marcellus Shale prospects — the legislature’s “pro-jobs” momentum seems to have tailed off as of late. Many of the legal reform measures introduced have seen little movement to date.
Attorney General Darrell McGraw’s office has been criticized over the years for using the power of his office for political gain. During the 2004 election year, the Attorney General’s office spent nearly $1 million of state funds on television advertisements that appeared to be geared towards building public recognition of the McGraw name. The Charleston Daily Mail criticized the media blitz, writing that “using the power
A supporter shares her story on getting “sucked into lawsuit hell” in West Virginia’s courts: Out of nowhere, I was getting sued for a fender bender two years prior. Originally, they were suing me as the driver (which I wasn’t). Instead of dismissing the case, the judge told them to re-filed and sue the correct driver. So they are now suing “Jane Doe” and
While a lot has been made about the amount of third party spending in West Virginia judicial elections, not much coverage has been devoted to the amount of money actually spent by judicial candidates in recent elections for West Virginia’s high court. The 2012 Court elections look to be no exception, begging the question of whether personal wealth is a necessary requirement for service on
In 2010, state lawmakers passed a bill creating a public financing pilot program for this year’s Supreme Court elections. While the measure was praised as an attempt to curb the influence of outside money on judicial elections, it looks like only one of the eight announced candidates for Court will qualify for the pilot program. As WV MetroNews reports: A Republican candidate for the
With the candidate filing period for the 2012 elections completed, it looks like Attorney General Darrell McGraw will face a tough re-election challenge. Eastern Panhandle attorney Patrick Morrisey has stepped up to challenge McGraw, who is seeking a 6th term as Attorney General. Morrisey notes that McGraw’s twenty years in office ”is just too long. We need a strong, new voice — someone with the experience, knowledge and leadership
With the 2012 legislative session underway, state lawmakers have introduced several legal reform measures that would help move our state forward. Here’s a quick look at some of the key bills: Senate Bill 420 – Creating the Civil Justice Reform Act of 2012: Sponsored by Senators Hall, Nohe, K. Facemyer, Nohe, Barnes, Boley & Jenkins, S.B. 420 would implement several civil justice reform measures that
The folks at Gallivan, White & Boyd have a great post in their “Abnormal Use” blog about how legal confrontations can often be avoided with a simple phone call, and sometimes a few beers. It’s well worth the read, as it includes perhaps one of the funniest legal responses ever. As the “Abnormal Use” blog explains: There is nothing like the realization that your legal fees purchased
The start of the new year brings with it another legislative session, and many are wondering whether this will be the year that state lawmakers finally address much-needed legal reform measures. West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse has a commentary in this week’s West Virginia Record and Charleston Daily Mail on some of the reform measures that should be addressed: A recent survey by West
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