Our court system needs revamped
by admin on 29/06/09 at 7:19 am
The Journal
By Richie Heath, Executive Director
West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse
June 27, 2009
Gov. Joe Manchin’s newly formed Independent Commission on Judicial Reform has the potential to finally move West Virginia’s legal system forward. As your paper’s June 18 editorial correctly points out, reform of our legal system will be no easy task. The nine-member commission likely will have disagreements about what solutions will best serve our state.
However, a critical examination of our judiciary is long overdue. For years now, our court system has been the object of much local and national criticism, which drives well-paying jobs to other states.
The Mountain State is one of only a handful of states that elects its judges strictly through partisan elections. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on judicial recusal in a local case puts the influence of money in court elections at the forefront of debate. West Virginia also is one of only two states with no automatic right of appeal for litigants – an issue that played a significant part in one large employer’s decision to relocate hundreds of jobs out of state.
