CHARLESTON — House Speaker Tim Armstead is among the names listed as possibilities to temporarily fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by Menis Ketchum.
The Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission today released the names of the applicants seeking to fill the vacancy.
Armstead, R-Kanawha, announced in January that he would not run again for the House of Delegates, alluding to a possible Supreme Court run in 2020. This potentially bumps up the timetable.
Ketchum resigned last month, the day before Supreme Court impeachment proceedings began in the House of Delegates. Ketchum also faces federal charges related to his use of a state vehicle for personal benefit, a perk that wasn’t reflected on his taxes.
As the impeachment proceedings moved through the House of Delegates, Armstead stepped aside from his usual Speaker’s role, turning that over to Speaker Pro Tem John Overington, R-Berkeley.
During the impeachment votes before the full House of Delegates, Armstead asked several times if he should recuse himself. The ruling was that Armstead was part of a class of delegates who may be considering runs for the Supreme Court and that he should vote.
The rest of the list includes:
- Robert H. Carlton, Williamson
- Gregory B. Chiartas, Charleston
- Robert J. Frank, Lewisburg
- Evan Jenkins, Huntington
- Arthur Wayne King, Clay
- D.C. Offutt Jr., Barboursville
- William Schwartz, Charleston
- Martin P. Sheehan, Wheeling
The seat that was vacated by Ketchum is on the November ballot for voters to pick who would serve the remaining two years on the term.
Gov. Jim Justice, with the guidance of the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission, has the role of appointing a justice to fill that seat temporarily.
A separate seat vacated this week through the retirement announcement of Justice Robin Davis also will be on the General Election ballot this fall, and it also would be subject to a temporary appointment by the governor.
