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CHARLESTON, West Virginia (AP) – Can a governor be forced to live in the state capital? A persistent lawsuit seeking to do exactly that with West Virginia Governor Jim Justice is back in court.
The Republican billionaire has often been criticized by members of both major parties for his absence from the Charleston headquarters, while his business empire of more than 100 companies is bogged down in lawsuits. But perhaps the most forceful condemnation comes from a Democratic legislator whose lawsuits have accused the court of violating a passage in the state's constitution stipulating that the governor "must reside at the seat of government ".
The result was a back-and-forth legal focus on the definition of the word "resides". There are also problems with the authority – and even the ability – of the courts to closely monitor the location of the state director.
Wednesday's hearing is expected to pick up some of these questions, including those posed by the governor's lawyers: "Does he" reside "in Charleston if he sleeps there, but leaves in the morning and passes his waking hours elsewhere? Conversely, does he live in Charleston if he spends some of his waking hours there but sleeps elsewhere?
Justice, whose total net worth is estimated at $ 1.5 billion, is clearly fed up with this challenge.
"It's a total waste of time," he said.
But the housing issue is just the latest legal drama that affects a governor whose diversified portfolio of coal and agricultural interests has been the subject of numerous lawsuits for unpaid debts and security fines. He stated that he had entrusted the management of his business to family members, but did not place all his businesses in blind trusts.
The lawsuits resulted in breaks within his own party. A senior senatorial republican called for Justice's resignation in a newspaper article titled "Jim Justice is neither a Democrat nor a Republican – he is a narcissistic opportunist".
When the governor finally released his daily program to the Associated Press in accordance with state law on public records, he showed that he was rarely at the state house, Almost never met his cabinet and was largely missing at one of this year's most critical moments. legislative session. He and his attorney general said the schedule did not accurately reflect his work as governor.
Whatever the merits of this case, the records obtained by the PA indicate that it cost the state about $ 20,000 for a private law firm. represents justice. The governor also strengthened his legal team by recently hiring George Terwilliger, a former US Department of Justice veteran and former acting Attorney General, who is now leading a "crisis management" team in a Washington office. DC.
Justice recognized that he lived in Lewisburg, a town about 160 km from Governor's Mansion in Charleston, but not far from The Greenbrier, a lavish resort he owns that organizes a PGA tour and was the venue of an annual congress. go away.
Justice was elected Democrat in 2016, but announced that he would change party at a Trump rally the following year. Since then, he has stood closely with the president during political debates, claiming he would still have Trump's support since he and the president were "hip-bound". Trump's former and former advisers lead Justice's re-election campaign.
The legislator who initiated the proceedings, Democratic Del. Isaac Sponaugle said the governor should comply with the state's constitution and live in the capital. He also wants the governor to release documents such as tax returns, security logs, expenses and other documents that may provide details on the location of Justice. His two previous attempts at the combination were rejected for technical reasons.
"This Constitution applies to it, like any average citizen on the street," said Sponaugle.
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