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==Elections==
==Elections==


Fall 2012: Davis and Chafin faced Republicans [[Allen Loughry]], a law clerk for Democratic Supreme Court Justice [[Margaret Workman]], and [[Jefferson County, West Virginia|Jefferson County]] Circuit Judge John Yoder in the [[2012 West Virginia elections|November general election]]. Loughry and Yoder were unopposed for the Republican nomination as they were the only two Republican candidates in the primary. Despite coinciding with the [[2012 United States presidential election in West Virginia|fourth consecutive presidential election where the Republican candidate won statewide]], Davis came in first place in the November general election to secure re-election to a second full term in office.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Statewide Results General Election - November 6, 2012 ★★★ Official Results ★★★|url=http://services.sos.wv.gov/apps/elections/results/results.aspx?year=2012&eid=13&county=Statewide|url-status=live|website=[[West Virginia Secretary of State]]}}</ref> Davis was re-elected alongside Loughry, who was elected to his first term in office.<ref name=":0" /> Although Davis' re-election ensured the Court maintained its longstanding Democratic majority, with the election of Loughry, the Court had two elected Republicans for the first time since 1940.
Fall 2012: Davis and Chafin faced Republicans [[Allen Loughry]], a law clerk for Democratic Supreme Court Justice [[Margaret Workman]], and [[Jefferson County, West Virginia|Jefferson County]] Circuit Judge [[John C. Yoder|John Yoder]] in the [[2012 West Virginia elections|November general election]]. Loughry and Yoder were unopposed for the Republican nomination as they were the only two Republican candidates in the primary. Yoder was also the unsuccessful Republican nominee against Davis in 2000. Despite coinciding with the [[2012 United States presidential election in West Virginia|fourth consecutive presidential election where the Republican candidate won statewide]], Davis came in first place in the November general election to secure re-election to a second full term in office.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Statewide Results General Election - November 6, 2012 ★★★ Official Results ★★★|url=http://services.sos.wv.gov/apps/elections/results/results.aspx?year=2012&eid=13&county=Statewide|url-status=live|website=[[West Virginia Secretary of State]]}}</ref> Davis was re-elected alongside Loughry, who was elected to his first term in office.<ref name=":0" /> Although Davis' re-election ensured the Court maintained its longstanding Democratic majority, with the election of Loughry, the Court had two elected Republicans for the first time since 1940.


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{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = John Yoder
|candidate = [[John C. Yoder]]
|votes = 258,213
|votes = 258,213
|percentage = 23.78%
|percentage = 23.78%
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}}
}}
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{{Election box end}}
Fall 2000: Democratic nominees Albright and Davis faced former state senator [[John C. Yoder|John Yoder]] in the November general election. Yoder ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Because Yoder was the only Republican nominee, either Albright or Davis was guaranteed to be elected and return as a Justice. Yoder, a native Kansan, was previously a district court judge in Kansas. After moving to West Virginia, Yoder was also the unsuccessful [[1990 United States Senate election in West Virginia|Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 1990]], losing to incumbent Democratic Senator [[Jay Rockefeller]]. Albright and Davis easily beat Yoder, who would also lose another race for the Supreme Court against Davis in 2012. After his loss, Yoder eventually returned to the [[West Virginia Senate|State Senate]] in 2005 and was elected as a circuit court judge for the [[West Virginia Circuit Courts|Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit]] (covering [[Berkeley County, West Virginia|Berkeley]], [[Jefferson County, West Virginia|Jefferson]] and [[Morgan County, West Virginia|Morgan]] Counties) in 2008.

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| title = Supreme Court of Appeals, 2000 General Election results
| title = Supreme Court of Appeals, 2000 General Election results
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{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = John Yoder
|candidate = [[John C. Yoder]]
|votes = 218,195
|votes = 218,195
|percentage = 24.38%
|percentage = 24.38%
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Spring 2000: In the historically Democratic state, Davis faced off in a four-way primary for two seats on the Supreme Court in a race that was tantamount to the general election as a Republican had not been elected to the Supreme Court since 1930. Elected to an unexpired term in 1996 after the retirement of appointed Justice [[Franklin Cleckley]], Davis faced former Justice [[Joseph Albright]], Delegate and attorney [[Evan Jenkins (politician)|Evan Jenkins]], and WVU Law professor and constitutional law scholar Bob Bastress. Albright and Davis handily won the nominations to advance to the November general election. Jenkins would later switch to the Republican party to become the congressman for [[West Virginia's 3rd congressional district]] and be appointed to Davis' seat in 2018 during the [[Impeachment of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia|Impeachment of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.]]

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| title = Supreme Court of Appeals, 2000 Democratic Primary Election results
| title = Supreme Court of Appeals, 2000 Democratic Primary Election results

Revision as of 00:01, 5 April 2021

For the French film director, see Robin Davis (director).

Robin Davis
Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
In office
December 16, 1996 – August 13, 2018
Preceded byFranklin Cleckley
Succeeded byEvan Jenkins
Personal details
Born (1956-04-06) April 6, 1956 (age 68)
Boone County, West Virginia, U.S.
SpouseScott Segal
Alma materWest Virginia Wesleyan College (BA)
West Virginia University (MA, JD)

Robin Jean Davis (born April 6, 1956[1]) is an American jurist who served on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. First elected to fill an unexpired term in 1996, Davis later won full twelve-year terms in 2000 and 2012. However, Davis retired before the end of her second full term in August of 2018 after the West Virginia House Judiciary Committee named Davis in articles of impeachment during the Impeachment of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.[2][3]

Early life

Davis was born in Boone County, West Virginia. She received a bachelor's degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1978, and master's and law degrees from West Virginia University in 1982.[1]

Career

From 1982 until 1996, Davis practiced law in West Virginia, concentrating on employee benefits and domestic relations.[1] In 1996 she was elected to fill an unexpired term, and was re-elected to a full twelve-year term in 2000 and 2012; becoming the first woman re-elected to statewide office in West Virginia.[1] Davis served one year terms as Chief Justice in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2014.

Impeachment and retirement

Following a series of controversies involving excessive spending, the West Virginia House Judiciary Committee voted to recommend impeachment for Davis and three other justices on August 7, 2018 "for maladministration, corruption, incompetency, neglect of duty, and certain high crimes and misdemeanors".[4]

After the articles of impeachment were approved by the full House of Delegates, Justice Davis announced her retirement from the Court, effective August 13, 2018. The timing allowed her seat to be filled through a special election rather than enabling Governor Jim Justice to appoint her successor in the event the West Virginia Senate removed her from office.[5]

Despite her retirement, the West Virginia Senate refused to dismiss the articles of impeachment against Justice Davis due to questions about her standing as a senior status judge as well as her eligibility to receive judicial retirement benefits. The Senate scheduled her for trial in October 2018.[6]

Media attention

Davis is featured in Laurence Leamer's 2013 non-fiction book, The Price of Justice: A True Story of Greed and Corruption in Coal Country.[7] In December 2014, ABC News reported on controversies surrounding Robin Davis: her ties to attorney Michael Fuller, who helped her raise $37,000 for her campaign; and the sale of a Lear Jet by her husband Scott Segal. The investigation raises questions about conflicts of interest and ethical decisions made by the then-Chief Justice.[8]

Private life

Davis is married to Scott Segal. They have one son, Oliver.[1]

Elections

Fall 2012: Davis and Chafin faced Republicans Allen Loughry, a law clerk for Democratic Supreme Court Justice Margaret Workman, and Jefferson County Circuit Judge John Yoder in the November general election. Loughry and Yoder were unopposed for the Republican nomination as they were the only two Republican candidates in the primary. Yoder was also the unsuccessful Republican nominee against Davis in 2000. Despite coinciding with the fourth consecutive presidential election where the Republican candidate won statewide, Davis came in first place in the November general election to secure re-election to a second full term in office.[9] Davis was re-elected alongside Loughry, who was elected to his first term in office.[9] Although Davis' re-election ensured the Court maintained its longstanding Democratic majority, with the election of Loughry, the Court had two elected Republicans for the first time since 1940.

Supreme Court of Appeals, 2012 General Election results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robin Davis (incumbent) 294,882 27.16%
Republican Allen Loughry 284,299 26.19%
Republican John C. Yoder 258,213 23.78%
Democratic Letitia 'Tish' Chafin 248,284 22.87%
Total votes 1,085,678 100.0%

Spring 2012: Two seats were up for election on the state Supreme Court of Appeals. The electoral system required voters to "vote for no more than two" in a single election, rather than electing each seat separately. Both seats were held by Democrats. Davis, who was first elected in 2000, ran for re-election, while Justice Thomas McHugh, kept his pledge to not seek a full term. McHugh had previously served on the court from 1980 to 1997, and was appointed and then elected to an unexpired term in 2008.

In the May Democratic primary, Davis faced Wood County Circuit Judge J.D. Beane; Letitia 'Tish' Chafin, a lawyer and wife of state Senator H. Truman Chafin; Louis Palmer, a Supreme Court clerk; H. John "Buck" Rogers, a lawyer; and, Greenbrier County Circuit Judge Jim Rowe. Chafin and Davis received the Democratic nomination.[10]

Supreme Court of Appeals, 2012 Democratic Primary Election results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robin Davis (incumbent) 83,071 27.90%
Democratic Letitia 'Tish' Chafin 80,393 27.00%
Democratic James 'Jim' Rowe 59,185 19.88%
Democratic J.D. Beane 30,543 10.26%
Democratic H. John 'Buck' Rogers 27,374 9.19%
Democratic Louis Palmer 17,149 5.76%
Total votes 297,715 100.0%

Fall 2000: Democratic nominees Albright and Davis faced former state senator John Yoder in the November general election. Yoder ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Because Yoder was the only Republican nominee, either Albright or Davis was guaranteed to be elected and return as a Justice. Yoder, a native Kansan, was previously a district court judge in Kansas. After moving to West Virginia, Yoder was also the unsuccessful Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 1990, losing to incumbent Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller. Albright and Davis easily beat Yoder, who would also lose another race for the Supreme Court against Davis in 2012. After his loss, Yoder eventually returned to the State Senate in 2005 and was elected as a circuit court judge for the Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit (covering Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan Counties) in 2008.

Supreme Court of Appeals, 2000 General Election results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joseph Albright 366,833 50.00%
Democratic Robin Davis (incumbent) 309,804 34.62%
Republican John C. Yoder 218,195 24.38%
Total votes 894,832 100.0%

Spring 2000: In the historically Democratic state, Davis faced off in a four-way primary for two seats on the Supreme Court in a race that was tantamount to the general election as a Republican had not been elected to the Supreme Court since 1930. Elected to an unexpired term in 1996 after the retirement of appointed Justice Franklin Cleckley, Davis faced former Justice Joseph Albright, Delegate and attorney Evan Jenkins, and WVU Law professor and constitutional law scholar Bob Bastress. Albright and Davis handily won the nominations to advance to the November general election. Jenkins would later switch to the Republican party to become the congressman for West Virginia's 3rd congressional district and be appointed to Davis' seat in 2018 during the Impeachment of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

Supreme Court of Appeals, 2000 Democratic Primary Election results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joseph Albright 131,948 34.40%
Democratic Robin Davis (incumbent) 108,230 28.21%
Democratic Evan Jenkins 73,876 19.26%
Democratic Bob Bastress 69,565 18.13%
Total votes 383,619 100.0%

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Justice Robin J. Davis, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
  2. ^ Levenson, Eric (August 9, 2018). "A West Virginia House panel has voted to impeach the entire state Supreme Court". CNN. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  3. ^ https://wchstv.com/news/local/announcement-scheduled-tuesday-for-supreme-court
  4. ^ McElhinny, Brad (August 7, 2018). "Delegates vote to impeach all four remaining WV Supreme Court justices". WV MetroNews. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  5. ^ http://wvmetronews.com/2018/08/14/important-announcement-scheduled-at-supreme-court/
  6. ^ http://wvmetronews.com/2018/09/11/updates-pretrial-hearing-in-wv-supreme-court-impeachment/
  7. ^ http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/OpEdCommentaries/201305100118
  8. ^ https://abcnews.go.com/US/company-calls-wva-justices-failure-disclose-extremely-troubling/story?id=27343797
  9. ^ a b "Statewide Results General Election - November 6, 2012 ★★★ Official Results ★★★". West Virginia Secretary of State.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Statewide Results Primary Election - May 8, 2012 ★★★ Official Results ★★★". West Virginia Secretary of State.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Legal offices
Preceded by Justice for the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
1996–2018 		Succeeded by
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