CHARLESTON – State Supreme Court Chief Justice Spike Maynard is on the offensive, saying he's been on the receiving end of "dirty tricks," "disgusting" antics and "gotcha politics."
In a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press that also was given to The West Virginia Record, Maynard said he thinks he is of the same mind with most West Virginians.
"At the base of every decision I've ever made and every opinion I've written is fairness and the rule of the law," said Maynard, who is one of four Democrats seeking two Supreme Court seats in this year's election. "I refuse to be defined by 30-second sound bites -- but rather by over 30 years of service to the people of West Virginia.
"I agree with West Virginians across the state who believe that 'gotcha politics' has no place in any election, especially one involving the state's highest court."
Maynard was one of the subjects of a recent ABC News story that aired Monday on "World News Tonight With Charles Gibson" and on "Nightline."
The report, featuring investigative reporter Brian Ross, touched on Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, his longtime friendship with fellow Mingo County native Maynard, court rulings involving Massey and recently surfaced photos that show the pair together in Monaco in 2006.
The story made headlines itself after a tussle between Blankenship and an ABC reporter in the parking lot of a Massey office.
Maynard was interviewed for the piece in a formal setting after the ABC crew tried to interview him in the state Capitol parking lot.
"I think he bought a dinner, I bought a dinner," Maynard said in the ABC story. "I think we each bought a dinner."
Maynard went on to say how the ABC News report is "another example of how far even mainstream news programs have fallen in their use of Paparazzi-style tactics and other biased antics that most of us have grown to abhor."
"In a word, they're disgusting," Maynard wrote. "The recent dirty tricks launched against me are repulsive. I want every West Virginian to know that this smear campaign has been launched by those who have selfish reasons to want to see me off the court because of my record of fighting to keep the economy strong, keep insurance rates low, keep doctors in the state, and keep our families and communities safe.
"My decisions have always been based on the hard evidence put in front of me. The hard evidence about me is that I don't have an agenda. I'm fair and impartial to all parties appearing before me, and I am absolutely committed to acting in the best interests of all West Virginians.
"That may not be very interesting to ABC News, but it is what all of us should expect from all of our judges at every level."
On Tuesday, Maynard also told the Charleston Daily Mail that he plans to sue those responsible for the "smear campaign" against him. He refused to tell the paper who would be named in the suit, which he said he would file when the election season ends.
"This is the mother of all political smears," Maynard told Daily Mail reporter Justin D. Anderson. "This is a disgusting, mudslinging campaign."
Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in Charleston were interviewing Supreme Court employees about Blankenship, Maynard and Massey.
In this week's Daily Mail story, Maynard called the Monaco photos a "red herring" being used by groups that don't agree with various legal reforms he says he's consistently voted to uphold.
Maynard told the Daily Mail his votes for medical malpractice, workers' compensation and insurance reforms have bothered some lawyers who've made money in what Maynard called "frivolous" lawsuits.
Maynard also told the Daily Mail that the people behind this push are using surrogates to criticize him. He said some plaintiffs' lawyers and members of the media seem to have a dislike for the coal industry in general and Blankenship in particular.
"I guess I'm collateral damage because they hate him," Maynard told Anderson.
Justice Larry Starcher also was interviewed for the ABC story. In the piece, Starcher suggested that the Monaco photos are grounds for Maynard to either retire or resign from the court.
Maynard wouldn't comment on Starcher's comments to the Daily Mail. But he did say there are judicial standards that are meant to keep justices from publicly criticizing one another.
"I'm still trying to take the high road and do the right thing," Maynard told the Daily Mail. "I'm sure there are people who would love to see me off the court. And that's truly what this is all about."
Also last week, Maynard criticized fellow Democratic candidate Bob Bastress during a meeting with the Daily Mail's editorial board.
Maynard said Bastress, a West Virginia University law professor, is campaigning with law school resources, is shirking his teaching duties and stands to benefit from legislation sponsored by his wife, House of Delegates member Barbara Evans Fleischauer.
