Dirty Coal's Dirty Ties

Look who's vacationing together - a West Virginia Supreme Court Justice and a coal company executive. And it just so happens that the justice was presiding over a ruling involving that coal company. The NY Times has an article on Justice Elliott E. Maynard vacationing in Monte Carlo with Don L. Blakenship of Massey Energy, all while:

"...the executive’s companies were appealing a $50 million jury verdict against them to the court. A little more than a year later, the justice, Elliott E. Maynard, voted with the majority in a 3-to-2 decision in favor of the coal companies."

Massey Energy is of course denying it, saying the two just happened to be vacationing in the same place at the same time, that it was all entirely coincidental. You can read more details in this Charleston Gazette article, and it's all infuriating. It's not at all reassuring knowing that those who are supposed to be impartial are vacationing with coal company executives involved in litigation they are presiding over.

Comments

[Jerry Greer]

I so sick of this crap! Our judicial/political systems are so corrupt and in bed with big corporations! The American people are so blind, lazy, ignorant, uncaring, or however you want to label it, to this and how we allow for this to happen is beyond me. There should be jail time attached to this! I see this as no different to what happened to Enron, Adelphia and the other corporations that have been found guilty of wrongdoing.