Appellate Law

Is Monte Carlos a better or worse place than a duck blind to compromise judicial ethics?

By S. COTUS

SW VA law blog points to this. 

A justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court and a powerful coal-company executive met in Monte Carlo in the summer of 2006, sharing several meals even as the executive?s companies were appealing a $50 million jury verdict against them to the court.

...
Justice Maynard, who is now West Virginia?s chief justice, and Don L. Blankenship, the chief executive of Massey Energy, were ?vacationing together,? according to a motion seeking Justice Maynard?s disqualification, which was filed on Monday...

?Both Blankenship and Justice Maynard were separately vacationing in the Monte Carlo area,? said the spokesman, Jeff Gillenwater. ?They were not vacationing together. They did meet occasionally for meals ? lunches and dinners.?...

Ten of the photographs attached to the motion were filed under seal. They showed, the motion said, ?two females apparently traveling with them as companions.? The men are single.  [It is unclear if I can make a West Virginia joke here.]

In the future, I would urge all litigants to vacation in Monte Carlo with this Supreme Court justice.   If you happen to be  poor (as most people in  West Virginia are), I would urge you to become rich.

Full post as published by Appellate Law and Practice on January 22, 2008 (boomark / email).