CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – The Latest on the impeachment trial of West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Beth Walker and jury selection for the federal trial of suspended Justice Allen Loughry (all times local):
1:05 p.m.
West Virginia senators have voted to allow impeached state Supreme Court Justice Beth Walker to remain in office.
The 32-1 vote Tuesday followed a two-day impeachment trial. A two-thirds majority was required to remove Walker, whose 12-year term expires in 2028.
Walker was accused of abusing her authority. The charge stated that Walker and other justices failed to control office expenses and maintain policies over matters such as working lunches and the use of state vehicles and office computers at home.
The vote came on the same day jury selection began in the federal trial of suspended Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry. A 25-count indictment includes allegations that Loughry repeatedly lied about using his office for personal gain.
West Virginia House Judiciary Chairman John Shott, right, back to camera, questions Supreme Court Justice Beth Walker, center, during her Impeachment trial in Charleston, W.Va. A West Virginia Supreme Court justice says her impeachment trial should never have happened. Walker testified Monday she thinks impeachable offenses include stealing, lying and corruption. She says, “I don’t think I’ve done any of those things.” (Kenny Kemp/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP)
The House of Delegates in August impeached Loughry, Walker and justices Margaret Workman and Robin Davis.
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11 a.m.
The West Virginia Senate has started pondering the fate of impeached Supreme Court Justice Beth Walker.
Closing arguments were held Tuesday in Walker’s impeachment trial before senators voted to go into a closed session to begin deliberations.
A two-thirds majority of the 34-member Senate is required to remove Walker from office.
Walker is accused of abuse of authority, a charge also levied against three other impeached justices. It states they failed to control office expenses and maintain policies over matters such as working lunches and the use of state vehicles and office computers at home.
House judiciary committee chairman John Shott served as the lead prosecutor in Walker’s Senate trial. He urged senators to sustain the impeachment article if they doubt that keeping her on the bench will help restore the public’s trust and confidence in the judicial branch of government.
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6:50 a.m.
The federal trial of a suspended West Virginia Supreme Court justice is starting a day after a colleague’s impeachment trial began in the state Senate.
Jury selection is set to get under way Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Charleston for Justice Allen Loughry. He also has a Senate impeachment trial scheduled in November.
The 25-count federal indictment includes allegations that Loughry repeatedly lied about using his office for personal gain.
The House of Delegates in August impeached him and justices Beth Walker, Margaret Workman and Robin Davis. The cases targeted spending, including lavish office renovations, and also raised questions about corruption, incompetence and neglect of duty earlier this decade.
Walker’s impeachment trial in the Senate started Monday and is set to resume Tuesday.
FILE – This combination of photos shows West Virginia state Supreme Court justices, from left, Robin Davis on Oct. 3, 2012, Allen Loughry on Oct. 3, 2012, Beth Walker on March 16, 2016, and Margaret Workman on Dec. 29, 2008. The four justices were impeached by the House of Delegates in August 2017. The cases targeted spending, including renovations to the justices’ offices, and also raised questions about corruption, incompetence and neglect of duty. Walker’s trial is set to start Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, in the state Senate. (Courtesy of the Charleston Gazette-Mail and The Daily Mail via AP, File)
Evan Jenkins takes the oath of office Monday, Oct. 1, 2018 for the West Virginia Supreme Court in Charleston, W.Va. Jenkins and former House Speaker Tim Armstead have been appointed to serve as temporary justices until a Nov. 6 special election to replace Ketchum and Davis. Jenkins and Armstead are among 20 total candidates seeking those seats. (Kenny Kemp/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP)
FILE – In this Sept. 11, 2018, file photo, West Virginia Senate president, Mitch Carmichael, middle left, presides over a bench conference in the Senate chambers during the pre-trial impeachment conference in the West Virginia State Senate chambers at the Capitol in Charleston, W.Va. Four justices were impeached by the House of Delegates in August. The cases targeted spending, including renovations to the justices’ offices, and also raised questions about corruption, incompetence and neglect of duty. Justice Beth Walker’s trial is set to start Monday, Oct. 1, in the state Senate. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
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