CHARLESTON CHAMBER URGES MEMBERS TO SUPPORT SB218,
END PARTISAN ELECTION OF JUDGES IN WEST VIRGINIA

As the voice of business in our region, the Charleston Chamber of Commerce is hard at work making your views known during the 2008 legislative session.

Last week Matt Ballard, President/CEO, JoEllen Zacks, Senior Vice President, along with the Presidents of the Huntington and Morgantown Chambers, presented the West Virginia Metro Chamber Coalition legislative agenda to a number of delegates and senators. We are pleased by the positive reception to the coalition’s core agenda and other important policy positions, and we look forward to working with our elected representatives to help make West Virginia a better state to live, work and play.

Senators Brooks McCabe, Jesse Guills and Evan Jenkins have taken action on issue of high priority to the Charleston Chamber – removing politics from the judiciary. They are sponsoring SB 218, which calls for the non-partisan election of judges beginning in 2010. We applaud their leadership in helping to elevate our courts from the political fray, and encourage you to support this measure to promote impartiality in West Virginia’s courts.

To see the Charleston Chamber of Commerce position paper on this issue highlighting important reasons the business community and citizens in general should support this bill click here.

If you agree that West Virginia should join the 43 other states that do not select their judges through partisan elections, we encourage you to contact your local delegates and senators and urge them to support this valuable legislation.

For your convenience, a sample message follows.

To read the contents of Senate Bill 218, click here:

To find contact information for your local legislators, click here:

Sample message:


Dear Delegate,

“The law makes a promise – neutrality. If the promise gets broken, the law as we know it ceases to exist.” Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy

Senator Brooks McCabe has introduced SB281, an important step in keeping the promise of neutrality in our state’s courts. The bill calls for the non-partisan election of judges beginning in 2010. West Virginia is only one of seven states that still relies on partisan politics for judicial elections. I urge you to support this measure that will help elevate our courts from the political fray and allow judicial candidates to stand on their qualifications rather than their party affiliations.

Partisan politics threaten fairness in our courts. Please keep the promise of impartial justice to the people of West Virginia and vote “yes” for non-partisan election of judges.

Respectfully,


Jane Chamber Member

We will continue to keep you posted in coming days on the progress of this and other issues that will help build a better future for our state.