State Bar Irony: Brent Benjamin and equal justice
The W.Va. State Bar has a slick new glossy look for its magazine, The West Virginia Lawyer.
But the cover and feature story in the new edition might strike some members of the legal profession as a bit ironic…
“Equal Justice for all must be more than just a catchphrase,” says the quote from Justice Brent Benjamin that’s included in the story and on the cover.
Why would anybody find that ironic?
Well, remember that the U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering whether Benjamin violated the due process rights of coal operator Hugh Caperton and his company, Harman Mining, by refusing to recuse himself from a case that pitted Caperton against Massey Energy, whose CEO, Don Blankenship spent millions of his own money to help Benjamin win a seat on the court. (See previous posts here, here and here).
The feature article, written by Supreme Court public information officer Jennifer Bundy, adds this: “Collegiality and wit are also characteristics the new Chief Justice brings to the court. Many tense situations have been alleviated by his ability to defuse bickering with a funny anecdote.”
This month’s issue also includes the traditional “From the Chief” column written by Benjamin.
At the end of the two page piece, Benjamin finishes with this:
Finally, I also wish to offer a heartfelt good-bye to departing Chief Justice Elliott “Spike” Maynard who has ably served this state for many decades. Justice Maynard has been a pleasure to work with these last four years and especially during the last year when I served as “back-up” to the Chief.
Maynard, you recall, lost his re-election bid in the 2008 Democratic primary, after photographs surfaced of him vacationing with Blankenship on the French Riviera.
But what about Justice Larry Starcher, who also retired at the end of last year? (And who clashed with and openly criticized Benjamin for not recusing himself from the Massey case).
Benjamin must have forgotten all about thanking him for his years of service and wishing him well.
1 comment
I like Justice Benjamin. I consider him fair and he seems to get along with all of the other Justices…..I figure he did not mention Starcher because they (as a whole) do not care for the man.