CHARLESTON — Those interested in an appointment from Gov. Jim Justice to serve on the state Supreme Court have until Dec. 3 to submit an application and letters of recommendation to the state Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission.
Members of the advisory commission also decided during a conference call Tuesday to conduct interviews of those who submit applications for the vacancy on Dec. 11. The commission will then recommend some of those applicants to the governor.
A seat opened on the court following the recent resignation of convicted Justice Allen Loughry. Loughry faces sentencing in January on 11 federal criminal counts. He was convicted in October on charges on fraud, witness tampering and lying to federal investigators. He is seeking a new trial.
The person chosen by Justice will serve until the May 2020 election, when the seat for the unexpired term will be up for vote. The candidate elected in that race will serve until December 2024, the end of Loughry’s original 12-year term.
Loughry’s resignation created a third vacancy on the court in recent months. Gov. Justice appointed former House Speaker Tim Armstead and Congressman Evan Jenkins to replace former justices Menis Ketchum and Robin Davis, who both stepped down in connection with the court’s spending controversy. Ketchum pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge. Both Armstead and Jenkins were elected by wide margins in the Nov. 6 General Election. Armstead is filling a two-year term and Jenkins a six-year term.
Three of the court’s five seats will now be up for vote in the May 2020 election, including the Loughry seat, which is currently held by Armstead and the seat currently held by Chief Justice Margaret Workman.
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JJenkins@wvradio.com.
