The Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary is looking into procedure for impeachment against any member of the state Supreme Court.
After members made various motions involving one creating two subcommittees, establishing a timeline for meetings and decisions, and discussing procedure for voting on the motion to create the subcommittees, the Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary will stand in recess until 5 p.m.
The main motion, if adopted, will establish two subcommittees—one comprised of House Judiciary Committee members and the other comprised of Senate Judiciary Committee members.
The House subcommittee will study whether a recommendation should be made to House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, to require the governor to call the Legislature into session to institute impeachment proceedings.
If articles of impeachment are adopted by the House, it’s then sent to the Senate for an impeachment trial.
Committee Co-Chair Delegate John Shott, R-Mercer, said the committee is plowing new ground.
“We’ve had one impeachment proceeding in the history of the state,” Shott said. “There is not a lot of precedence on how to proceed.”
Members of the committee questioned whether the vote should be split with House members voting to create the House subcommittee and the Senate voting on its portion.
Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, mentioned the Aug. 14. This is the deadline to have a special election this November to fill any vacancy created.
The committee also heard presentations detailing the process and function of several agencies that investigate and discipline public officials and public employees — the Ethics Commission, the Legislative Auditor’s Office, the West Virginia Auditor’s office, Department of Health and Human Resources Medical Fraud Unit, West Virginia Attorney General’s office, Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Consolidated Retirement Board, Commission on Special Investigation, and the Judicial Investigation Commission.
The committee will reconvene at 5 p.m. in the House Chamber to take up these motions.
