By KEN WARD JR.
Charleston Gazette-Mail
The Republican-led West Virginia House of Delegates received national attention last week for impeaching all four of the state’s sitting Supreme Court justices. Lawmakers cited a swirling scandal over court spending that ranged from using state-owned cars for personal business to extravagant office renovations that included a $32,000 couch.
Among the targets was Beth Walker, who was impeached over allegations of irresponsible spending and poorly managing the court’s administrative affairs.
But left unmentioned in the impeachment and the debate around it has been a peculiar vote by Walker that benefited the natural gas industry. In one of her earliest votes, Walker made a highly unusual decision to reopen a case and then reverse a Supreme Court ruling that would have forced drillers to pay more in profits to residents. Walker voted to reopen the case around the time her husband owned stock in a variety of energy companies, including those participating in West Virginia’s growing gas boom.
Read the entire article: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/wv_troubled_transition/before-impeachment-walker-s-gas-case-reversal-caused-court-controversy/article_0e9edcdd-333d-5227-a3bf-4b00647225c6.html
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