Wednesday: Judgepedia's "Federal Courts, Empty Benches" Update →Brent Benjamin
| Brent Benjamin | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia | |
| Title: | Chief Justice |
| Service: | |
| Active: | 2004-2016 |
| Chief: | 2009, 2013 |
| Personal History | |
| Party: | Republican |
| Bachelors: | The Ohio State University |
| Law School: | The Ohio State University, 1984 |
Contents |
Brent D. Benjamin is the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. He was elected to a full term in a partisan election on November 2004. His current term ends in 2016. On January 2, 2013, it was announced Benjamin was selected to be the chief justice for 2013. He previously served as Chief Justice in 2009.[1]
Education
Benjamin is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where he received his B.A. and in 1984, his J.D..[2]
Career
Prior to joining the court, Benjamin was a lawyer with the firm Robinson and McElwee, PLLC, where he practiced for twenty years. [3]
Awards and Associations
- 1999 Graduate, Leadership West Virginia
- Member, Hocking College Archaeological Mission [3]
Harman Mining v. Massey Coal case
In November 2007, the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Massey Coal, reversing a $50 million award from the county court. Subsequently, photographs surfaced of Justice Spike Maynard and Massey CEO Blankenship on vacation in Monaco. The two, said they simply were vacationing at the same place at the same time, and Maynard provided documentation to show he paid his own way. Still, the justices voted unanimously to rehear Harman's case.
Maynard voluntarily recused himself from all Massey cases, and Harman demanded Justice Benjamin also step down. Benjamin refused, and on July 28 the Court ruled in the Harman Mining case against Massey Coal. Instead of simply stating his specific reasons for voting in the majority of a 3-2 vote when Massey's appeal of a $50 million verdict in favor of Caperton's company proved successful, the acting chief justice on the case issued a 58-page opinion, touching on a wide variety of topics. [4]
See this link to read the full text of Justice Benjamin's concurring opinion.
Harman is currently asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that Benjamin should have stepped down from the Massey case.[5]
According to Justin D. Anderson of the Charleston Daily Mail, Benjamin claims that "the Harman lawyers haven't mentioned many other facts about the election that he considers more crucial to his win than the anti-McGraw ads placed by the campaign that called itself "And For the Sake of the Kids." [4]
See here for a MSNBC interview with Don Blankenship where he addresses Benjamin's refusal to recuse himself from a current lawsuit involving Massey Energy.
Ultimately, the case was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2009, the court found that Benjamin should have recused himself, after benefitting from $3 million in campaign contributions. The ruling said that Benjamin's involvement violated the 14th Amendment, denying the plaintiffs due process of law. In response, Benjamin"noted the Supreme Court had not questioned his ethics, integrity or impartiality. He said the high court's "new standard...now places more due process emphasis on perceptions and independent actions of external parties than on a judge's actual conduct or record."[6]
Additional reading
WV Governor election
In early 2011, a Supreme Court battle ensued about when to elect the next Governor of West Virginia.
Citizen Action Group and local attorney Thorton Cooper say the state Constitution and state code disagree, and a special election for governor should be called quickly. Attorneys for Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and House Speaker Richard Thompson disagree whether an election should be called. Secretary of State Tennant‘s legal counsel took a neutral position.
Kathryn Bayless, counsel for CAG, said only the court could require the Legislature and Tomblin to act, and that an election is needed as soon as possible. Bayless argued that article 7 section 16 of the Constitution is clear there “shall” be a “new” election for governor in event of an absence.
“The people of West Virginia want a new election, and that is what the Constitution provides for,” Bayless said.
“What would you have us do in respect to President Tomblin and the Speaker,” asked Justice Brent Benjamin. “What would you have us mandate those two individuals do? You have us mandate those two individuals to legislate?”
“No sir, I would mandate a new election be conducted as soon as practical, and I believe the court has the authority to do that,” Bayless said.[7]
See also
- News: Lawyer Assistance Program pilot project approved, July 30, 2012
External links
- West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, Justice Brent D. Benjamin
- Project Vote Smart, Justice Brent D. Benjamin (WV))
- American Radio Works, "Justice for Sale?"
References
- ↑ Brent Benjamin elected chief justice, The State Journal, January 2, 2013
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, Justice Brent D. Benjamin (WV)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Justice Benjamin Biography
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 West Virginia Record "Benjamin concurs, but does so much more", July 28, 2008
- ↑ Charleston Daily Mail, "Supreme Court Justice takes strong stand", July 20, 2008
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Justices Set New Standard for Recusals", June 9, 2009
- ↑ "W.Va. Supreme Court Hears Arguments for Gubernatorial Special Election," West Virginia Watchdog, January 12, 2011
