Manchin Splits On Judicial Bills

Gov. Joe Manchin had signaled displeasure with the Legislature's decision to add 6 judges to the circuit court system. He followed through Wednesday by vetoing the bill.

But in that veto message, the governor explained why he opted to sign a companion measure increasing the number of family court judges by 10.

That latter bill also redrew boundaries for nine of the system's 26 districts while creating a new one. By shifting caseloads and cutting driving times for judges and staff, lawmakers were able to reduce the number of additional judges needed for the five-year-old family court system.

New family court judges are destined for:

* Wirt, Mason & Jackson (redrawn 5th district);
* Logan;
* Lincoln & Boone (10th district);
* Kanawha;
* McDowell & Mercer (12th district);
* Raleigh, Summers & Wyoming (redrawn 13th district);
* Harrison & Doddridge (redrawn 18th district);
* Monongalia & Preston (redrawn 20th district);
* Berkeley & Jefferson (24th district);
* Webster & Pocahontas (new 27th district).

But the circuit judge bill did not touch boundary lines. Manchin concluded that lawmakers should have similarly reduced the need for more judges as they had in the family court bill.

The vetoed bill would have added circuit judges in Kanawha, Mercer, Mingo, Monongalia, Wayne and the circuit composed of Hampshire, Hardy and Pendleton counties.

Some lawmakers had warned that Manchin would never approve a bill that added too many circuit judges, given the costs involved.