An editorial from The Inter-Mountain
ELKINS, W.Va. — Yet another crack in the foundation of the Randolph County judiciary appeared Monday as details of an extramarital affair between Judge Jaymie Godwin Wilfong and a county employee were aired, further eroding public confidence in an already scandal-plagued legal system.
The 20th Judicial Circuit judge’s 27-page narrative in response to the West Virginia Judicial Investigation Committee’s formal statement of charges was graphic in nature, meandering and at times deflective to the issue at hand.
Revelations that Judge Wilfong performed sexual acts in chambers during court hours and utilized colleagues’ personal residences to further the affair put an additional pall over an already arduous situation.
While many Randolph County residents regard the matter as personal – between two consenting adults – the roots and ramifications of the situation run much deeper.
These actions open up further financial liability for the county, which already has paid a Pittsburgh law firm to investigate the issue and the involvement of former North Central Community Corrections Executive Director Travis Carter.
Further, Carter and his staff appeared before Judge Wilfong at least 46 times, offering sworn and unsworn testimony, during the breadth of the two’s affair.
Financial liability and legal ramifications aside, the relationship opens up a virtual Pandora’s box concerning morality and the legal code of conduct…
