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Long-Shot Politics Muddies the Water

We are living in the era of the long-shot in politics. No matter how absurd the claim or the strategy, some in office or seeking to be elected seem to think it is worth a try.

Fortunately, a panel of judges sitting as the West Virginia Supreme Court saw through it all on Monday. They dismissed attempts to keep two men appointed to the high court from serving.

When Justices Robin Davis and Menis Ketchum resigned their positions this summer, it created two openings on the court. Gov. Jim Justice appointed two highly qualified men, Tim Armstead and Evan Jenkins, to the positions on an interim basis. Both are among a large field of candidates seeking election to the court on Nov. 6.

Armstead had served as speaker of the House of Delegates. Jenkins has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the state’s southern counties. Both are Republicans.

Two other candidates for the court, Clay County attorney Wayne King and Charleston lawyer William Schwartz, filed lawsuits. King’s contended Jenkins could not be on the ballot because of a law requiring that justices have held law licenses for at least 10 years. King rested his action on the grounds that Jenkins placed his law license on inactive status in 2014, after he was elected to the House.

Schwartz repeated that claim, and added that neither Armstead nor Jenkins should serve as interim justices because the two people they replaced, Davis and Ketchum, had been elected as Democrats.

But West Virginia no longer uses partisan elections to select judges and high court justices. Elections are nonpartisan. Schwartz’s contention makes no sense in that light.

And Jenkins has held a law license for more than 30 years. The fact he voluntarily declared it to be inactive for a time makes no difference.

Because of turmoil involving the Supreme Court, the five people sitting in judgment over the King and Schwartz lawsuits were all circuit judges, called to the high court for temporary duty. But the cases were so blatantly ridiculous that they wasted no time in issuing an order dismissing petitions filed by the two high court wannabes.

Good. Long-shot politics being practiced at all levels these days ought to be disposed of that quickly and decisively. Politics is divisive enough without allowing the water to be muddied unnecessarily.

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