Archive for December, 2008
West Virginia Regains First Place in “Judicial Hellholes”
The State Journal
Dec 18, 2008
It’s just not true that West Virginia never ranks No. 1 in any studies.West Virginia has again this year topped the list of “Judicial Hellholes” in a national study released Dec. 16. But this time the state has regained the No. 1 spot. West Virginia was at No. 4 last year.
The [...]
Targeting businesses
Charleston Daily Mail
Dec 17, 2008
IN August 2007, Mattel was notified of possible lead contamination in some of its Fisher Price toys made in China. The toy company recalled 21 million toys by Christmas.Although no children are believed to have been harmed by the toys, Mattel was sued by the attorneys general of 39 states, including [...]
West Virginia tops ‘judicial hellhole’ report again
Charleston Daily Mail
Dec 16, 2008
The American Tort Reform Association has again ranked West Virginia the top “judicial hellhole” in the country in its annual report on courts it considers flawed. But a state-based trial lawyers group calls the report “phony” and little more than “propaganda” funded by corporations that are often the targets of the [...]
A Judicial Hellhole
WV MetroNews Talkline
Dec 16, 2008
West Virginia again sits in the top spot on the American Tort Reform Association’s list of judicial hellholes in the United States. The Mountain State is the only entire state on the list of areas where the Association says large scale judicial reforms are needed.”We have to paint with a fairly [...]
Fundraiser held to reduce Workman campaign debts
Charleston Daily Mail
Dec 16, 2008
Six of the state’s top trial lawyers hosted a fundraiser to help state Supreme Court Justice-elect Margaret Workman retire her campaign debt, which amounts to about $78,982.
The event was held Monday night at the Hendrickson and Long law firm on Capitol Street.
Lawyers Tom Flaherty, David Hendrickson, Alvin Emch, Scott Segal and [...]
W.Va. not only state debating judicial selection
Associated Press
Dec 14, 2008
West Virginia is not alone in weighing whether to alter the way it chooses its judges and justices, though the states have not seen any sort of sea change in the way they choose their judicial branches. More than a half dozen states have either put questions relating to judicial selection to [...]
Select judges on merit, senator says
Charleston Gazette
Dec 08, 2008
Circuit judge-elect and current Sen. John Yoder, R-Jefferson, told legislators Sunday he favors merit selection of judges – even though he probably would not have become a judge under that system. “Nobody has ever argued that merit selection takes politics out of the selection of judges,” Yoder told an interim committee studying [...]
W.Va. lawmakers ponder politics-free judiciary
Associated Press
Dec 08, 2008
The Legislature continues to study the way West Virginia picks its judges and justices, in the wake of a vote of con-fidence by most of the state’s judiciary in favor of the current method of partisan elections. A House-Senate committee assigned the topic heard from several speakers Sunday who differ on which [...]
Manchin Is Correct to Focus on State Courts
The State Journal
Dec 04, 2008
We hope Manchin can find the support he needs to bring our selection of judges more in line with practices in other states. Gov. Joe Manchin is seeking legislative support to change the way West Virginia selects judges. He appears to be building a case for shifting away from the partisan [...]
