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Menis Ketchum

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Menis Ketchum
Image of Menis Ketchum

Nonpartisan

Prior offices
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia

Education

Bachelor's

Ohio University, 1964

Law

West Virginia University, 1967


Menis Ketchum was a justice on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. He was elected to the court on November 4, 2008, and served as chief justice in 2012 and in 2016. Ketchum retired on July 27, 2018.[1][2] Click here for more information about the West Virginia Supreme Court vacancy.

Education

Ketchum graduated from Ohio University in 1964. He received his J.D. from West Virginia University in 1967.[3]

Career

Upon graduation, Ketchum started working at Greene, Ketchum & Baker. He spent more than 40 years at the firm, eventually becoming the senior partner.[1]

Awards and associations

  • 1989-2008: Recognized in "The Best Lawyers in America"
  • 2002-2008: Member, Board of Governors of Marshall University
  • Former member, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Former member, American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Former Board Member, Public Defender Corporations for the Sixth and 24th Judicial Circuits
  • Former member, Huntington Urban Renewal Authority[1][4]

Approach to the law

“ "My judicial philosophy is really quite simple," said Ketchum, in the West Virginia Record. "I believe it is the function of judges to even-handedly apply the law rather than to make the law. If I'm fortunate enough to be elected, I want to be known as a fair-minded Justice who puts the law before politics or ideology. I will do my best to see that our citizens and corporations receive equal treatment before the court and that criminals - especially violent ones - receive the punishment they deserve. I want to be a fair judge to all of the people."[5][6] ”

Elections

2008

In a three-way race for two seats, Ketchum won his seat by earning 34.8% of the vote.[7]

Candidate IncumbentSeatPartyPrimary %Election %
Supreme-Court-Elections-badge.png
Menis Ketchum ApprovedA NoMaynard SeatDemocratic27%34.8%
Margaret Workman ApprovedA NoMaynard SeatDemocratic35.9%32.9%
Elizabeth Walker NoMaynard SeatRepublican100%32.2%
Elliott E. Maynard YesMaynard SeatDemocratic19.4%
Robert Bastress NoMaynard SeatDemocratic17.6%


Pledge to serve one term

During the 2008 campaign, Ketchum pledged to only serve one term on the court, stating:

“ I pledge to only run for one term so that I don't have to worry about a decision that the business community or labor may not like and worry about being re-elected. I just want to go up there and work and not worry about how my decisions would effect my re-electability.[8] [6] ”

Campaign contributions

For information about Ketchum's campaign contributions, see: Follow the Money: Menis Ketchum.

Interview with Bluefield Telegraph

On May 5, 2008, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph Editorial Board hosted a question and answer panel session with each West Virginia Supreme Court candidate.[9]

  • On judicial integrity, Ketchum said: "You have to disassociate with the lawyers and the social scene and not go around making speeches."
  • On Workers' Compensation cases, Ketchum said: "We need an intermediary court of appeals with three judges and two law clerks," noting this system would cost about $853,000 a year. Ketchum said the Supreme Court could not handle the comp caseload.
  • On priorities for judicial reform, Ketchum agreed that the biggest problem facing the courts was out-of-state lawsuits. He also said the state needed judicial redistricting—the redistricting of counties into different or combined circuits—for judicial economy. Ketchum also emphasized the need for more family court judges and the importance of raising their pay to the level of circuit court judges.

All information from this section comes from Bluefield Daily Telegraph, "Supreme Court candidates state their cases," May 3, 2008 (dead link), last accessed February 20, 2014.

Noteworthy cases

Malpractice recusal

After a wave of criticism, Ketchum decided to recuse himself from the case MacDonald v. City Hospital. The case focused on the constitutionality of West Virginia's Medical Professional Liability Act, which limits non-economic medical damages to $500,000. Ketchum was vocal of his support of the law during the 2008 Supreme Court campaign. Though the judge did not believe it mandatory that he recuse in this instance, he said, "I don't want our Court to be publicly maligned by those with a 'win-at-all-cost' mentality. I disqualify myself from the case."[10]

Political ideology

See also: Political ideology of State Supreme Court Justices

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.

Ketchum received a campaign finance score of -0.4, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of -0.35 that justices received in West Virginia.

The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[11]

Noteworthy events

Justice Ketchum resigns from West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals

Justice Ketchum announced on July 11, 2018, that he would resign effective on July 27, 2018. His resignation came shortly after the West Virginia General Assembly convened in a special session to discuss "[m]atters relating to the removal of one or more Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, including, but not limited to, censure, impeachment, trial, conviction, and disqualification."[12] According to Metro News, Ketchum was involved in an investigation related to the improper use of state vehicles for personal gain. A legislative audit indicated that Ketchum failed to report the use of the vehicles on his personal income tax returns.[13]

The special session convened on June 25, 2018. Republican legislative leaders asked for the session to consider impeaching West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Justice Allen Loughry, who was suspended from his position and indicted on 22 federal charges in June 2018.[14]

Loughry's suspension and Ketchum's resignation left the five-member court with three active justices.[13]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, "Justice Menis Ketchum," accessed July 24, 2018
  2. ↑ Office of the Governor, "Gov. Justice receives letter of retirement, resignation from Supreme Court Justice Menis Ketchum," July 11, 2018
  3. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Justice Menis E. Ketchum (WV)," accessed July 24, 2018
  4. ↑ Greene Ketchum, "Menis Ketchum's biography," accessed July 24, 2018(dead link)
  5. ↑ The West Virginia Record, "Ketchum formally starts Supreme Court bid," December 13, 2007
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  7. ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2008 Primary and General Election Results," accessed July 24, 2018
  8. ↑ The Register-Herald, "Ketchum pledges one term, to bring experience to court," October 21, 2008 (dead link)
  9. ↑ Bluefield Daily Telegraph, "Supreme Court candidates state their cases," May 3, 2008 (dead link) last accessed 2/20/2014
  10. ↑ The Blog at Legal Times, "West Virginia Justice Reverses Self, Recuses in Malpractice Case," September 27, 2010
  11. ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
  12. ↑ Office of the Governor, "Gov. Justice issues proclamation calling for special session of Legislature on Tuesday, June 26, 2018," June 25, 2018
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Metro News, "Justice Ketchum steps away from the Supreme Court," July 11, 2018
  14. ↑ The State Journal, "Gov Justice calls for special session Loughry, other justices," June 25, 2018


West Virginia courts

Federal courts:

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia

State courts:

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia • West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals • West Virginia Circuit Courts • West Virginia Family Courts • West Virginia Magistrate Courts • West Virginia Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in West Virginia • West Virginia judicial elections • Judicial selection in West Virginia

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