U.S. AUGUST 14, 2018 / 1:28 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

Top West Virginia judge retires after impeachment vote

Diana Kruzman
3 MIN READ

(Reuters) - A West Virginia Supreme Court justice retired on Tuesday, the day after state lawmakers voted to start impeachment proceedings against the full court, accusing four judges of lavish spending that included a total of more than $1 million in office renovations.

Justice Robin Davis, 62, said she would retire after state legislators accused her of corruption and neglect of duty, including spending $500,000 on office renovations that featured a $20,000 rug and an $8,000 desk chair.

Davis, a Democrat, retired on the last possible day that would trigger a special election to choose her replacement instead of having Republican Governor Jim Justice appoint a new judge. She accused the Republican lawmakers of deliberately timing their impeachment vote to make it easier for the governor to name replacements.

“The will of the people is being denied,” Davis told local media. “I just cannot allow the finalizing of their plot to come to fruition.”

The court has been mired in scandal since June, when the state’s House of Delegates began an investigation.

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