Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB341%20SUB2.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=RS&billtype=B&houseorig=S&i=341
Timestamp: 2020-08-14 14:31:12
Document Index: 229321298

Matched Legal Cases: ['§29', '§3', '§3', '§23', '§23', '§51', '§23', '§51', '§51', '§29', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§5', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§1', '§1', '§51', '§3', '§1', '§51', '§51', '§51', '§51']

SB341 SUB2 Senate Bill 341 History
(b) The commission shall consist consists of eight appointed members, four of whom are public members shall be appointed by the Governor for six‑year terms, except for the initial appointments which shall be staggered in accordance with subsection (c) of this section. Four and four of whom are attorney members. The Governor shall appoint attorney members shall be appointed by the Governor for six‑year terms, except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, from a list of nominees provided by the Board of Governors of the West Virginia State Bar. When filling a vacancy on the commission, the Governor shall appoint a member for a six‑year term. The Board of Governors of the West Virginia State Bar shall nominate no more than twenty 20 nor less fewer than ten10 best qualified attorneys for appointment to the commission whenever there is a vacancy in the membership of the commission reserved for attorney members. The commission shall choose one of its appointed members to serve as chair for a three‑year term. No more than four appointed members of the commission shall belong to the same political party. No more than three appointed members of the commission shall be residents of the same congressional district. All members of the commission shall be citizens of this state. Public members of the commission may not be licensed to practice law in West Virginia or any other jurisdiction.
(e) Members of the commission shall serve without compensation, except that commission members are entitled to reimbursement of travel and other necessary expenses actually incurred while engaged in official commission activities in accordance with the guidelines of the Travel Management Office of the Department of Administration or its successor entity. The Governor’s Office shall cooperate with the commission to ensure that all resources necessary to carrying out the official duties of the commission are provided, including staff assistance, equipment, and materials.
(i) The commission shall make available to the public copies of any applications and any letters of recommendation written on behalf of any applicants. All other documents or materials created or received by the commission shall be are confidential and exempt from the provisions of §29B-1-1 et seq. of this code, except for the list of best qualified persons or accompanying memoranda submitted to the Governor in accordance with the provisions of §3-10-3a(j) of this code, which shall be available for public inspection, and the written policies required to be filed with the Secretary of State in accordance with §3-10-3a(f) of this code.
(a) The employer, claimant, Workers’ Compensation Commission, the successor to the commission, other private insurance carriers, and self‑insured employers, whichever is applicable, may appeal to the appeal board created in §23‑5‑11 of this code for a review of a decision by an administrative law judge: Provided, That the appeal board created in §23‑5‑11 of this code has no jurisdiction to hear an appeal of a decision by an administrative law judge entered after June 30, 2019. No appeal or review shall lie unless application therefor be made within thirty 30 days of receipt of notice of the administrative law judge’s final action or in any event within sixty 60 days of the date of such final action, regardless of notice and, unless the application for appeal or review is filed within the time specified, no such appeal or review shall be allowed, such time limitation being hereby declared to be a condition of the right of such appeal or review and hence jurisdictional.
(b) An appeal of a final order or decision by the Office of Judges, entered after June 30, 2019, shall be made to the Intermediate Court of Appeals, pursuant to §51‑11‑1 et seq. of this code.
§23‑5‑11a. Transfer of jurisdiction of appeals to Intermediate Court of Appeals; termination of board of review.
(b) The Intermediate Court of Appeals, created in §51‑11‑1 et seq. of this code, has exclusive appellate jurisdiction over all final orders or decisions issued by the Office of Judges after June 30, 2019.
(b) Proceedings for review of any final order or decision issued on or before June 30, 2019 proceedings for review shall be instituted by filing a petition, at the election of the petitioner, in either the Circuit Court of Kanawha County, West Virginia, or in the circuit court of the county in which the petitioner or any one of the petitioners resides or does business, or with the judge thereof in vacation, within thirty 30 days after the date upon which such party received notice of the final order or decision of the agency. Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, proceedings for judicial review of any final order or decision issued after June 30, 2019, must be instituted by filing an appeal, at the election of a party desiring appeal, to the Intermediate Court of Appeals as provided in §51‑11‑1 et seq. of this code. A copy of the petition shall be served upon the agency and all other parties of record by registered or certified mail. The petition shall state whether the appeal is taken on questions of law or questions of fact, or both. No appeal bond shall be required to effect any such appeal.
(d) Within fifteen 15 days after receipt of a copy of the petition by the agency, or within such further time as the court may allow, the agency shall transmit to such circuit court the original or a certified copy of the entire record of the proceeding under review, including a transcript of all testimony and all papers, motions, documents, evidence, and records as were before the agency, all agency staff memoranda submitted in connection with the case, and a statement of matters officially noted; but, by stipulation of all parties to the review proceeding, the record may be shortened. The expense of preparing such record shall be taxed as a part of the costs of the appeal. The appellant shall provide security for costs satisfactory to the court. Any party unreasonably refusing to stipulate to limit the record may be taxed by the court for the additional costs involved. Upon demand by any party to the appeal, the agency shall furnish, at the cost of the party requesting same, a copy of such record. In the event the complete record is not filed with the court within the time provided for in this section, the appellant may apply to the court to have the case docketed, and the court shall order such record filed.
(h) The judgment of the circuit court shall be final unless reversed, vacated, or modified on appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeals of this state in accordance with the provisions of §29A-6-1 of this code.
Any party adversely affected by the final judgment of the circuit court under this chapter may seek review thereof by appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeals of this state, and jurisdiction is hereby conferred upon such court to hear and entertain such appeals upon application made therefor in the manner and within the time provided by law for civil appeals generally: Provided, That appeal of a final order, decision, or judgment of the Intermediate Court of Appeals must comply with the requirements of §51‑11‑1 et seq. of this code.
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, an appeal of a final order by a family court, entered after June 30, 2019, must be made to the Intermediate Court of Appeals pursuant to §51‑11‑1 et seq. of this code.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, a circuit court has no jurisdiction to review a final order by a family court, entered after June 30, 2019, if review of the final order is under the jurisdiction of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, as provided in §51‑11‑5 of this code.
(c) Upon the sunset of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, pursuant to §51‑11‑14 of this code, the provisions of this section are of no force and effect.
(a) As used in this article, the term “judge”, “judge of any court of record”, or “judge of any court of record of this state” means, refers to, and includes judges of the several circuit courts, the judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, and justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals. For purposes of this article, the terms do not mean, refer to, or include family court judges.
(d) “Board” means the Consolidated Public Retirement Board created pursuant to §5‑10D‑1 et seq. of this code.
(e) “Final average salary” means the average of the highest thirty‑six 36 consecutive months’ compensation received by the member as a judge of any court of record of this state.
(h) “Plan year” means the twelve 12-month period commencing on July 1 of any designated year and ending the following June 30.
(i) “Required beginning date” means April 1 of the calendar year following the later of: (i) The calendar year in which the member attains age 70 1/2 and one half; or (ii) The calendar year in which the member retires or otherwise separates from covered employment.
This article is known and may be cited as the West Virginia Appellate Review Reorganization Act of 2018.
(3) Section three, article VIII of the Constitution of West Virginia grants the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals supervisory control over all intermediate appellate courts in the state, including the power to promulgate rules for the procedures of an intermediate appellate court created by statute. The same constitutional provisions name the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals the “administrative head” of such courts, empowering the chief justice to exercise supervisory control over any potential intermediate court of appeals.
§51‑11‑4. Intermediate Court of Appeals created; geographical districts.
(a) In accordance with section one, article VIII of the Constitution of West Virginia, the Intermediate Court of Appeals is hereby created. The court shall be established and operable on or before July 1, 2019.
(1) The Intermediate Court of Appeals for the Northern District has jurisdiction over appeals of decisions, judgments, or orders entered within the following counties: Barbour, Berkeley, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jefferson, Marion, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Morgan, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Wetzel, and Wood.
(2) The Intermediate Court of Appeals for the Southern District has jurisdiction over appeals of decisions, judgments, or orders entered within the following counties: Boone, Braxton, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Putnam, Raleigh, Roane, Summers, Upshur, Wayne, Webster, Wirt, and Wyoming.
(c) Each district of the Intermediate Court of Appeals shall convene, conduct proceedings, and issue decisions, rulings and opinions of the court in panels comprised of three judges.
(d) The proceedings of the Intermediate Court of Appeals may take place in any location geographically located within the district the court serves that is convenient to litigants, in a facility provided by the clerk, pursuant to §51‑11‑9 of this code.
(b) Unless specifically provided otherwise in this article, appeals of the following matters shall be made to the Intermediate Court of Appeals, which has appellate jurisdiction over those matters:
(3) The person must be a resident of the State of West Virginia for five years prior to appointment to the Intermediate Court of Appeals;
(4) The person must be a resident of the district of the Intermediate Court of Appeals in which he or she serves; and
(a) Each district of the Intermediate Court of Appeals shall be comprised of three judges, each appointed to serve staggered judicial terms, as provided in §51-11-7(b) of this code. No two judges may be residents of the same county or of the same state senatorial district, as those districts are provided in §1‑2‑1 of this code at the time of a judge’s appointment.
(b) The procedure for the appointment of a judge to the Intermediate Court of Appeals is as follows:
(1) For the initial nomination of judges following the creation of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission shall compile and certify a list to the Governor of the eight most qualified persons to serve as judge for each district of the Intermediate Court of Appeals no later than January 1, 2019: Provided, That no more than three candidates on the list may reside in the same county or in the same state senatorial district as those districts are provided in §1‑2‑1 of this code at the time of a candidate’s inclusion on the list: Provided, however, That each person on the list must meet the requirements of §51‑11‑6 of this code. After the initial appointment of judges to the Intermediate Court of Appeals, the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission shall assist the Governor in filling any vacancy arising upon the expiration of a judge’s term, in the manner required by §3‑10‑3a of this code.
(2) The Governor shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the West Virginia Senate, an appropriate number of candidates to fill vacancies in the Intermediate Court of Appeals. The Governor shall make his or her nominations without regard to political partisanship or affiliation. No two judicial candidates may be residents of the same county or of the same state senatorial district, as those districts are provided in §1‑2‑1 of this code, at the time of a candidate’s nomination. The Governor shall nominate candidates for appointment to serve judicial terms within each district of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, as follows:
(A) For the initial nomination of judges following the creation of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, the Governor shall nominate three candidates for each judicial district. Of the three candidates nominated per district, the Governor shall nominate one candidate to serve a 10-year term, one candidate to serve an eight-year term, and one candidate to serve a six-year term. The terms of each judge initially appointed to the Intermediate Court of Appeals shall commence on July 1, 2019.
(B) After the initial appointments described in §51-11-7(b)(2)(A) of this code, judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals will be appointed to fill judicial vacancies in the Intermediate Court of Appeals as judicial vacancies arise upon the expiration of judicial terms. After the initial appointments described in §51-11-7(b)(2)(A) of this code, judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals shall be appointed to serve 10-year terms.
(c) Upon confirmation by the West Virginia Senate, an individual appointed to serve as a judge for the Intermediate Court of Appeals will take an oath of office, and will commence his or her duties thereafter.
(d) Upon the expiration of his or her term of office, a judge for the Intermediate Court of Appeals may be reappointed through the regular appointment process provided in this section.
(e) The three judges of each district of the Intermediate Court of Appeals shall select a member of the Intermediate Court of Appeals to serve as chief judge, pursuant to rules promulgated by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
(f) No person sitting as judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals may retain his or her position as judge upon becoming a candidate for any elected office, judicial or nonjudicial.
(g) The Legislature recognizes that the Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has authority to temporarily assign judges to the Intermediate Court of Appeals pursuant to section eight, article VIII of the Constitution of West Virginia, in the event that an appointed judge is temporarily unable to serve on the court.
(b) Filling; records. —
All notices of appeal, petitions, documents, and records filed in connection with an appeal to the Intermediate Court of Appeals shall be filed in accordance with rules promulgated by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
(c) Facilities. — The Intermediate Court of Appeals shall hear arguments throughout the court’s respective districts in locations that are convenient to litigants. The Administrative Director of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals shall arrange for the availability of suitable public facilities where proceedings of the Intermediate Court of Appeals will take place. Facilities for proceedings may include, but are not limited to, courtrooms in county courthouses, courtrooms in federal courthouses, county commission rooms in county courthouses, rooms or facilities at institutions of higher education, and other suitable spaces in federal, state, county, or municipal buildings throughout the state.
(a) The chief justice of each district of the Intermediate Court of Appeals shall prepare a biannual report, available to the public, that contains the following information, as it pertains to the justice’s district:
(b) The chief justice of each district of the Intermediate Court of Appeals shall submit and certify the list required by this section to the Supreme Court of Appeals and Joint Committee on Government and Finance on a biannual basis.
(b) The written opinion, orders, and decisions of the Intermediate Court of Appeals are binding precedent for the decisions of all circuit courts, family courts, and magistrate courts that lie within the court’s district unless such decision is overruled or modified by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
(b) Upon the proper filing of a notice of appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeals, the order or judgment of the Intermediate Court of Appeals is stayed pending action of the Supreme Court of Appeals.
The Intermediate Court of Appeals sunsets on July 1, 2029, unless continued by act of the Legislature.
(a) A party to a civil action may appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeals from a final judgment of any circuit court or from an order of any circuit court constituting a final judgment as to one or more but fewer than all claims or parties upon an express determination by the circuit court that there is no just reason for delay and upon an express direction for the entry of judgment as to such claims or parties: Provided, That a party shall appeal a final order or judgment of a circuit court entered after June 30, 2019 to the Intermediate Court of Appeals, as required by §51‑11‑1 et seq. of this code.
(b) As provided in §51‑11‑12 of this code, a party in interest may petition the Supreme Court of Appeals for appeal of a final order or judgment of the Intermediate Court of Appeals in accordance with rules promulgated by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
(d) All appeals pursuant to this section shall be afforded a full and meaningful review, and an opportunity to be heard, by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals or the Intermediate Court of Appeals, and a written decision on the merits shall be issued, as a matter of right.