Webster
CHARLESTON – The state Supreme Court has ordered Kanawha Circuit Judge Carrie Webster twice in the last few months to issue her rulings quickly.
Webster was told in February that she needed to rule on a motion that had been pending since January 2011. Earlier this month she was also ordered to rule on a petition from a convicted murderer that had been pending since September 2009.
The Supreme Court orders that were issued to Webster told her to issue her rules quickly, but did not tell her how to do so.
"What I take from this personally is that trial courts are expected to and should act promptly, efficiently and fairly and that I have taken an oath and I take my job seriously and am mindful of the writs and will continue to work really hard to honor those canons, to work harder and diligently and still act fairly and thoroughly," Webster told the Charleston Daily Mail for a story in Thursday's edition.
The court ordered Webster on April 2 to rule within 15 days on the convicted murderer case, which she filed on Tuesday, denying Robert Bradley Joseph's appeal.
"To be clear, most of the four-year delay in this case is not attributable to (Judge Webster)," the court wrote. "However, the case has been pending since 2006 and has been fully submitted for decision since August 2, 2011. Accordingly, a final order in this matter is long overdue, and it is abundantly clear that the petitioner is entitled to the relief requested in this matter."