Posts Tagged ‘West Virginia’
WV: Democrat AG to look into complaint against Democrat Secretary of State’s office
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 10:42 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 15 September 2010 01:34
From Charleston Daily Mail:
Attorney General Darrell McGraw’s office is looking into a complaint that Secretary of State Natalie Tennant’s office has misinterpreted state election law.
The complaint, which was filed by an independent candidate running for the state House of Delegates, alleges the layout of the U.S. Senate election ballot is illegal.
The current layout of the Nov. 2 ballot lets voters cast one straight-ticket vote for both elections – the special Senate election and the one for all the other races.
It’s not clear how seriously McGraw’s office is taking the complaint.
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under Attorney General News | No Comments
WV: Governor to run for Byrd’s Senate Seat
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 11:54 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 20 July 2010 11:37
From LegalNewsline.com:
The governor’s announcement came after he and state lawmakers resolved their differences over the succession process.
The legislation, approved late Monday, calls for an Aug. 28 primary and Nov. 2 general election for the seat. It also calls for a four-day candidate filing period, which started Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.
Manchin said in an interview with radio talk show host Hoppy Kercheval that he has already lined up the “unequivocal” support of major labor groups, which have both been his allies in the past.
Speaking to Kercheval, Manchin acknowledged he “probably will” be at odds with national Democrats on many issues.
Meanwhile, the Republicans’ top prospect is U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito. State lawmakers won an amendment in the legislation that allows her to seek Byrd’s seat without abandoning her ongoing bid for a sixth U.S. House term.
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under Blog | No Comments
West Virginia GOP Raises Questions
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 11:56 Written by rslcpol Friday, 16 July 2010 01:58
From the Hill:
Republicans are worried the bill is meant to dissuade Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) from waging a campaign for Senate in a special election since it would require her to resign her House seat in order to run.
GOP suspicions have been amplified by the fact that the Democratic decisionmakers guiding the process so far — Manchin, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, state Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin and state House Speaker Richard Thompson — all have ambitions for higher office.
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under Attorney General News, Secretaries of State, State Legislature News | No Comments
WV: If Asked, AG Will Give Opinion on Byrd Seat
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 12:11 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 6 July 2010 08:47
From Charleston Gazette:
Attorney General Darrell McGraw believes West Virginia state law requires state officials, including Gov. Joe Manchin, to seek his opinion about the proper legal process to fill the Senate vacancy created by the passing of Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.
But so far, no one has asked McGraw and his staff for their legal advice.
“Under the law, the attorney general is expected to provide an opinion on legal issues that confront the executive branch of government and, in a limited way, other branches of government,” McGraw said during a Monday interview.
“This is significant because it is the attorney general who is required by law to defend that officer if that officer is sued,” McGraw stressed. “This process should have been observed.”
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under Attorney General News | No Comments
WV: Byrd Succession Timetable may be Reviewed
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 12:16 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:16
From UPI.com:
Some West Virginia lawmakers say they expect the Legislature to review the succession plan for the seat of Sen. Robert C. Byrd during a special session in July.
Byrd, who represented the state in the U.S. Senate for more than a half-century, died Monday in a Washington-area hospital at the age of 92. A memorial service was planned for Friday.
Earlier this week, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant said no special election to fill Byrd’s seat would be held until November 2012, when West Virginia voters would elect someone to complete the roughly five weeks of his unexpired term and someone for a full six-year term in the same election, similar to what Pennsylvania did to elect a successor for Rep. John Murtha.
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
WV: AG’s Office to Review Decision on Byrd’s Senate Seat
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 12:18 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 30 June 2010 11:54
From Herald-Dispatch.com:
State attorney general Darrell McGraw’s office is reviewing a decision over the process for picking a successor to the late Robert C. Byrd’s U.S. Senate seat.
Chief Deputy Attorney General Fran Hughes said Tuesday a look at Secretary of State Natalie Tennant’s decision is necessary to make sure it is legally sound and supported by case law.
Tennant announced Monday the person picked by Gov. Joe Manchin to fill Byrd’s seat won’t have to face a special election until November 2012 for the remaining two months of Byrd’s term. An election will also be held then for a new 6-year term.
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under Attorney General News | No Comments
WV: Governor Doesn’t See Need to Boost Ethics Law
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:26 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 17 March 2010 01:52
From Bluefield Daily Telegraph:
Gov. Joe Manchin isn’t sold on requiring public servants to disclose their spouses’ employers and financial interests.
Manchin told reporters Tuesday that he understood the concerns of senators who killed a pending ethics bill just before the legislative session ended Saturday.
“They have their own lives, they have their own careers. They didn’t put their names on the ballot,” the governor said during a post-session press conference in his Capitol office.
The bill was the first to pass the House, and did so unanimously. Besides extending existing disclosure requirements to spouses, it called for greater reporting by officials of their financial holdings and income sources. It also proposed a one-year wait before an array of public officials could become lobbyists.
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
WV: House Republicans Want Vote on Issues
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 03:01 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 23 February 2010 02:08
From Charleston Gazette:
State Republican delegates say they’re tired of waiting on Democratic legislative leaders to open debate on issues like gay marriage and certain tax breaks.
House Republicans plan a series of procedural motions this week to force floor votes on proposals they say Democrats have allowed to die in committees. Those include a resolution (HJR5) that calls for a statewide referendum on whether to amend the constitution to define marriage, and a proposal (HJR104) to boost tax breaks for elderly and disabled people.
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
WV Democrat Apologizes for DUI
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 03:43 Written by rslcpol Monday, 1 February 2010 01:49
From WVGazette.com:
A West Virginia lawmaker facing a charge of drunken driving is apologizing.
Delegate Alex Shook issued a statement Sunday saying he made “a terrible mistake” and was “deeply sorry” to everyone he disappointed.
The 40-year-old Morgantown lawyer was charged Wednesday with the first-offense misdemeanor following a traffic stop in Charleston.
A criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court indicates that Shook’s blood-alcohol level was nearly 0.18. The legal limit for driving is below 0.08.
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
WV: Democrat Lawmaker Charged with a DUI
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 03:44 Written by rslcpol Friday, 29 January 2010 04:20
From WVGazette:
A state lawmaker from Morgantown is charged with drunken driving after he allegedly drove the wrong way down Virginia Street in Charleston on Wednesday night.
Delegate Alex Shook, D-Monongalia, told a Charleston police officer he “had several beers” that evening. He is charged with first-offense DUI, a misdemeanor.
A Breathalyzer test showed Shook’s blood-alcohol level was .177, more than twice the legal limit of .08, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
Tags: West Virginia | Posted under Dems Behaving Badly, State Legislature News | No Comments