IN THE WEST VIRGINIA SENATE

IN THE 111A TTER 0F IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST
RESPONDENTS CHIEF JUSTICE ATARGARET AND JUSTICE
ELIZABETH WALKER

Honorable Paul T. Farrell
Acting Justice of the
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Presiding Of?cer
STIPULATION AND AGREEMENT OF PARTIES

Respondents Chief Justice Margaret L. Workman and Justice Elizabeth D. Walker (the
?Respondents?), together with the Board of Managers of the West Virginia House of Delegates
for the impeachment trials pending in the West Virginia Senate (the ?Board of Managers?),
jointly agree and stipulate as follows:

1. The Respondents acknowledge indefensible spending by the Supreme Court of
Appeals of West Virginia (the ?Court?), as well as the absence of Court policies and practices
that likely would have prevented that indefensible spending.

2. The Respondents accept full responsibility for all spending on renovations to their
personal of?ces over which they exercised or should have exercised spending oversight and
approval.

3. The Respondents acknowledge the need for changed policies and practices to
correct the failures identi?ed in Article XIV of the Articles of Impeachment and rebuild public
trust in the Court.

4. The Respondents have begun and will continue to implement reforms to improve
the administration of the Court and prevent future inappropriate expenditures, and to ensure

compliance with all applicable laws and regulations governing the conduct of the Court.

5. The Respondents and the Board of Managers therefore agree to:

a. Jointly recommend that the Senate adopt a resolution of censure with
respect to the Respondents, which is included with this Stipulation and Agreement of Parties;
and

b. Upon passage of such a resolution of censure, jointly move to dismiss the
Articles of Impeachment with respect to the Respondents.

6. The Respondents and the Board of Managers further agree that if the Senate does
not dismiss the Articles of Impeachment with respect to the Respondents, no part of this

Stipulation and Agreement of Parties may be used in any trial of the Articles of Impeachment.

Agreed to by:

Dated: qz?z/9 

P?m. John'Shott
Board of Managers

Dated: h?
The HohrfAnbdrew D./Byrd
For: Board of Managers

 

 

SENATE RESOLUTION

Publicly reprimanding and censuring Chief Justice Margaret L. Workman and Justice
Elizabeth D. Walker of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

Whereas, Chief Justice Margaret Workman was named in Articles IV and VI of the
Articles of Impeachment, which allege overpayment of senior status judges;

Whereas, Chief Justice Workman and Justice Walker were named in Article of
Impeachment XIV, which alleges that the Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals generally
and collectively failed to provide or prepare policies and reasonable supervisory oversight of the
operations of the Court and in the absence of such policies and oversight, wasted state funds on
unnecessary renovations, travel, computers for home use, lunches, and the framing of personal
items, and;

Whereas, the House of Delegates also adopted House Resolution 203 censuring all then-
sitting Justices related to their conduct concerning, among other things, the spending on their
personal of?ces;

Whereas, Chief Justice Workman and Justice Walker have accepted full responsibility for
all spending on renovations to their personal of?ces over which they exercised or should?ve
exercised spending oversight and approval;

Whereas, Chief Justice Workman and Justice Walker have previously and publicly
acknowledged indefensible spending by the Court and the absence of appropriate policies and
practices that likely would have prevented that indefensible spending;

Whereas, Chief Justice Workman and Justice Walker have publicly acknowledged the
need for changed policies and practices to rebuild public trust in the Court;

Whereas, Chief Justice Workman and Justice Walker have begun and will continue to
implement reforms to improve the administration of the Court and prevent future inappropriate
expenditures and to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations governing the
conduct of the Court;

Whereas, Justice Walker has not served as Chief Justice over the Court or Judicial
Branch in the time that she has served on the Supreme Court of Appeals;

Whereas, Chief Justice Workman and Justice Walker support increased legislative
oversight, transparency, and accountability of the Supreme Court of Appeals;

Whereas, Chief Justice Workman and Justice Walker accept personal and institutional
responsibility for the Court?s failure to enact certain speci?c policies as described in Article XIV
in the Articles of Impeachment; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate:

That Chief Justice Workman and Justice Walker be hereby publicly reprimanded and censured
for and because of the aforementioned conduct; and be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to Chief
Justice Workman and Justice Walker.