IN THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS OF WEST No. 18-0789 STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA ex reI. WILLIAM K. SCHWARTZ, a registered voter in Kanawha County, West Virginia, Petitioner, v. THE HONORABLE]AMESJUSTICE, Governor ofWest Virginia; THE HONORABLE MAC WARNER, Secretary ofState ofWest Virginia; EVANJENKINS, real party in interest; and TIMARMSTEAD, real party in interest, Respondents VERIFIED RESPONSE TO COMBINED WRIT OF MANDAMUS AND WRIT OF PROIllBITION Counsel for Petitioner Counsel for Respondent Jenkins Teresa C. Toriseva Ancil G. Ramey wv Bar No. 6947 WV Bar No. 3013 Joshua D. Miller Steptoe &Johnson PLLC WV Bar No. 12439 P.O. Box 2195 Toriseva Law Huntington, WV 25722-2195 1446 National Road (304) 526-8133 Wheeling, WV 26003 [email protected] (304) 238-0066 [email protected] S. Paige Flanigan WV Bar No. 6015 Flanigan Law Office 1407 East Main Street Princeton, WV 24740 (304) 487-2338 [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS I. QUESTIONS PRESENTED .................................................................................... 1 II. STATEMENT OF THE CASE................................................................................ 3 III. SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ................................................................................ 5 IV. STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT AND DECISION................ 6 V. ARGUMENT A. STANDARD OF REVIEW.................................................................................... 6 B. BECAUSE RESPONDENT JENKINS HAs BEEN ADMITIED TO THE PRACTICE OF LAW IN THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA FOR MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS, HE IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE OFFICE OF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS UNDER W. VA. CONST., ART. VIII, § 7 ............................................................................................................ 7 C. WHERE JUDICIAL SELECTION IN WEST VIRGINIA IS ON A NON­ PARTISAN BASIS; WHERE THIS COURT HELD IN BIAFORETHAT THE GOVERNOR Is NoT' REQUIRED TO FILL VACANCIES WITH PERSONS WITH TliE SAME POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION AS THE DEPARTING INCUMBENT AT TIl!! 'TIME OF TliEIR ELECTION; AND WHERE THERE IS No CONSTIT{T'!IONAL, STATUTORY, REGULATORY, OR COMMON LAW REQI)IREMENT, LIKE THERE IS FOR CERTAIN STATE OFFICIAl,S, SUCH AS FOR THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF DELEGATES, RESPONDENT JENKINS WAS ELIGIBLE FOR NONPART1C;AN ApPOINTMENT TO A VACANCY IN THE OFFICE OF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS.............................................. 23 VI. CONCLUSIC)N ...,.,.............. " ................................... , ........ , ...................................... 29 l'AllLE OF AUT) IOI(I'J'(ES CASES Ademiluyi v. Maryland .StateBoard ofElections, 458 M9.1,.181 A.3d716..{2018..) ...... , ................ , ..... ,....................................................... 22 Chandler v. Martin ex rei. State) . 2014 Ark. 219,433 S. W.3d 884 (2014) .......................... , ............................. , .............. 22 Cross v. Vandyke, 375 Mont. 535, 332 P.3d 215 (2014) ............................................................................ 18-21,22 Davis v. City ofPlainfield, 389 NJ Super. 424,913 A.2d 166 (2006) ........ ., ........................................................ 15-16,23 Goines v. Heiskell, 362 F. Supp. 313 (S.D. W, Va. 1973) .......... ,. .............................................................. 25 I •• • • ,.. Holloway v. Hechler, . .. " . '. .'. ."..... 817 F. Supp. 617 (S.D. W. Va. 1992) .......................................................................... 25 In re Palomo, 366 S.W.3d 193 {Tex. 2012) ............ , ........................................................................... 22-23 In re Simmons, 65 Wash.2d 88, 395 P.2d 1013 (1964) " ....................................................................... 23 Kelly v. Martin ex rei. State) 2014 Ark. 217) 433 S. W.3d 896 (2014) ....................................................................... 22 Martin v. Randolph Crtfy. Bd. ol~auc., 195 W. Va. 297, -465 S.E.2d 399 (1995) ......... " ............ " .............................................. 20 Rice v. Underwood) 205 W. Va. 274, 517 ~.E.2d 751 (1996) ....................................................................... 6-7 State v. Elder) 152 W. Va. 571, 165 S.E.2d 108 (1968) ....... , ............................................................... 20 n State ex rei. Biafore v. Tomblin) 236 W. Va. 528, 782 S.E.2d 223 (2016) ...................................................................... passim State ex rei. Brotherton v. Blankenship, 157 W. Va. 100, 207 S.E.2d 421 (1973) ...............•....................................................... 19 State ex rei. Cooper v. Tennant; 229 W. Va. 585, 730 S.E..zd 368 (2012): ........... :.... : .................................................... 25-26 State ex rei. Frazier v. Meadows, 193 W. Va. 20, 454 S.E~2d 65 (1994) ............... : .......................................................... 20 State ex rei. Hash v. McGraw, 180 W. Va. 428, 376 S.E.2d 634 (1988) ...................................................................... 6 State ex rei. Haught v. Donnahoe, 174 W. Va. 27,321 S.E.2d 677 (1984) ......................................................................... passim State ex rei. Judlciallnvestigatlon Com 'n v. Putnam County Bd. ofBallot Com'rs) 237 W. Va. 99,785 S.E.2d 805 (2016) .............................................................................. 6 State ex rei. Kucera v. Clty ofWheeling, 153 W. Va. 538, 170 S.E.2d 367 (1969) ....................................................................... 6 State ex rei. Robb v. Caperton) 191 W. Va. 492, 446 S.E.2d 714 (1994) ...................................................................... 27 State ex rei. Smith v. Gore, 150 W. Va. 711, 43 S.E.2d 791 (1965) ......................................................................... 25 CONSTITUTIONS W. Va. Canst., ar!:. II, § 2 ...................................................................................................... 23,24 W. Va. Canst., art. II, § 4 ...................................................................................................... 24, 25 W. Va. Const., art. III, § 7 ..................................................................................................... 23,24 W. Va. Canst., art. Ill, § 16 ................................................................................................... 24 W. Va. Const. art. VI, § 15 ........... ,..... " ...................... , .., ....................................................... 24 W. Va. Const., art. VII, § 7.................................................................................................... 23,24 W. Va. Const., art. VIII, § 2 .................................................................................................. 27 W. Va. Const., a~t. VIII, § 5 .................................................................................................. 7 W. Va. Const., art. VIII, § 7. ..., ............................................................................................... passim W. Va. Const., art. VIII, § 10 ......................... , ...................................................................... 27 W. Va. Const., Veterans Bonus Amendment (Ko~ovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq) ................... 11 W. Va. Const., Veterans Bonus Amendment (Persian Gulf, Lebanon, Grenada and Panama) ........................................................... , .............. ,........................................... 11 W. Va. Const., Vietnam Veterans Bonus Amendment ......................................................... 11 STATUTES W. Va. Code § 3-1-3a(1) ........................................................................................................ 13 W. Va. Code § 3-5-6 .............................................................................................................. 26 W. Va. Code § 3-5-6a ...................... ;..................................................................................... 26 W. Va. Code § 3-5-6b ......................................... , ............ ,..................................................... 26 W. Va. Code § 3-5-6c ............ ,............................................................................................... 26 W. Va. Code § 3-S-6d ., .......................................................................................................... 26 W. Va. Code § 3-10-3{b) .................... ·...... .,............................................................................. 2 W. Va. Code § 3-10-3(d)(3)................. ·........................ " ................... , ..................................... 2 W. Va. Code § 3-10-5(a)............................... " .. ,..................................................................... 2,23,28 W. Va. Code § SB-2E-3(4) " .................................................................................................. 13 IV W. Va. Code § 7-1IB-lS(d)(2) ............................................. " .............................................. 13-14 W. Va. Code § 8-14-17(b) ...................................................................................................... 14 W. Va. Code § 8-15-22 ....... " .................................... t ............................................................ 12 W. Va. Code § 8-25-5(C;)(5) ................................................................................................... 13 W. Va. Code § 9-3-6(c)(2) ........