The State Journal reported that a U.S. District Court judge is presiding over an upcoming case involving a West Virginia environmental group that he once belonged to, although he said it has been at least a decade since he was a member of the group.
Coal Bits: Oct. 9th, 2008-- The State Journal reported that a U.S. District Court judge is presiding over an upcoming case involving a West Virginia environmental group that he once belonged to, although he said it has been at least a decade since he was a member of the group.
The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, a plaintiff in an upcoming case on U.S. District Court Judge Robert Chambers' docket, is listed in the 2008 Almanac of the Federal Judiciary as one of his activities. The conservancy also has been a plaintiff in cases Chambers has ruled on in the past. Chambers said he no longer is involved with the group and hasn't been since his stint in the Legislature. He was a Cabell County delegate from 1978 to 1996 and served as House speaker for 10 of those years.
James "Jim" S. Crockett Jr., a member of Spilman Thomas & Battle, said he hasn't checked with the judge on his involvement and only became aware of the document listing the conservancy late last week. Crockett will represent Fola Coal Co. in the case Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, et al., v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, et al, which was recently heard by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
"There are federal rules for withdrawing from a case; it's not the sort of thing that comes up every day," he said. "You don't want to get too close to the line on this." Crockett said he hadn't yet reviewed the prior case to see whether the Conservancy was a party to it.