We've got good news and good news.
First, the good news: Darrell McGraw will not return to the West Virginia State Supreme Court. The longtime state attorney general, and once and would-be future high court justice, came in second in the recent election, thereby sparing us another 12 years of his self-promotion and ongoing commitment to cronyism.
McGraw keeps the $75,000 per year he has “earned” in state pension benefits, which is outrageous for someone who did so much harm to our state for so long, but at least he won't get the $136,000 salary paid to supreme court justices. Nor will he be able to draw the additional $40,000 in annual pension benefits he would have been entitled to if he'd gotten elected and warmed the bench again for at least three years.
Now, the other good news: Stalwart conservative Beth Walker did win the election and is likely to make an excellent judge.
Walker's supporters included the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the state chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, the state Coal Association, the state Business and Industry Council, the state Hospital Association, the state Health Care Association, the state Manufacturers Association, the state Farm Bureau, and U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.
Running in our state's first nonpartisan judicial election, Walker garnered 39 percent of the vote in a five-way race, easily defeating McGraw at 23 percent
“I’m really honored to be the very first nonpartisan justice of the state Supreme Court,” Walker proclaimed after winning. “I take that honor very seriously. I believe that judges should decide cases impartially and adhere to the rule of law. That message clearly resonated with voters.”
So it did.
We affirm State Republican Party Chairman Conrad Lucas' contention that “Beth's election guarantees a tough, fair court that should maintain the progress we've made to ensure the lawsuit lottery in our state comes to a stop.”