Ketchum Sworn in

A Supreme Court chamber packed with family, friends, legal dignitaries and other officials helped highlight Thursday's robing of Menis Ketchum as one of West Virginia's two new justices, The Associated Press and others report.

With his 12-year term beginning Jan. 1, Ketchum, 65, is "joining a court that drew national headlines in 2008," AP notes.

"Photos that surfaced last January showed Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard socializing in Monaco with Don Blankenship, the top executive at Massey Energy Co," the article said, while "Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether a second justice, Brent Benjamin, should have recused himself from a $50 million case involving Massey."

Maynard did not appear at Thursday's ceremony, while Benjamin presided over it as next year's slated chief justice.

Former Justice Margaret Workman, who with Ketchum won this year's Democratic primary and general elections, was on hand and will follow suit Dec. 29.

Others with coverage include the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington and MetroNews.