Misblog

Originally published January 18, 2008, Updated and Republished April 28, 2008:

The failure of West Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice, Elliott E. Maynard to disclose his 2006 Monaco rendezvous with Don L. Blankenship, a longtime friend and CEO of Massey Energy Inc.¹ before participating in the decision reversing Massey’s $76 million dollar liability is so outrageous and egregious it must be referred for investigation for possible criminal corruption.

Additionally, the justice’s failure must be referred to West Virginia’s State Bar for investigation for possible removal of Justice Elliott E. Maynard, from the bench.

Web:

• UPDATED 01/27/2008 Maynard Urges Standards for Judges. We are grateful and thankful that most of our judges maintain acceptable conduct and relationships notwithstanding the lack of a bright line definition of appearance or actual conflict of interests.

  Those unable or unwilling to maintain wide margins between their conduct or relationships notwithstanding a bright line definition of appearance or actual conflict of interest implicitly acknowledge they cannot judge and therefore should not be judges.

• UPDATED 01/25/2008 Google->AP, Vacation Pics Prompt Court to Take Case. Virginia's Supreme Court has unanimously reversed its prior decision reversing Massay's $76 million dollar liability. The court has allowed additional or amended pleadings and set rearguments for March 12, 2008. Chief Justice Elliott E. Maynard took no part in the decision.
• UPDATED 01/21/2008 WDBJ7, Maynard expected to face more questions about Massey ties.

• UPDATED 01/21/2008 NYT, University Investigates Whether Governor’s Daughter Earned Degree. This article is primarily about West Virginia’s governor Joe Manchin and whether his daughter Heather Bresch earned the degree she says from West Virginia University.

  It contains a paragraph on the developing Maynard tragedy, too.

  Evidently in West Virginia it doesn’t matter what you know or do, just who you know or influence or bribe!
  

  • UPDATED 04/28/2008 Resignations Over Unearned Degree

    "The president of West Virginia University on Monday accepted the resignations of two top university officials over the awarding of a master’s degree to the governor’s daughter."--AP->NYT--

• NYT, West Virginia Chief Justice Steps Away From Case
• AP, W.Va. Justice Removes Himself From Case
• Yaho->AP, Harman Uses Photos to Challenge Massey

-----notes-----

1. UPDATED 01/19/2008 U.S. Fines Mine Owner $20 Million for Pollution

"The nation’s fourth-largest coal producer, the Massey Energy Company, was hit Thursday with a $20 million fine, the largest civil penalty ever levied by the federal government for a pollution violation of this type under the Clean Water Act."--NYT--