Free Republic

A majority of West Virginia’s Supreme Court has upheld the right to work law that has been argued in the court system for years after it first passed the state’s Republican majority Legislature. Justices reversed a Kanawha Circuit Judge’s earlier ruling that overturned key aspects of the law. The case was remanded back to the lower court, but only to enter summary judgment on behalf of the state. “Because we have found the Act does not infringe upon association, property, or liberty rights protected by the West Virginia Constitution, we reverse the February 27, 2019 order of the Circuit Court...

Sen. Joe Manchin, the independent-minded West Virginia Democrat who sometimes irks his party by siding with Republicans, intends to back fellow Democat Joe Biden for president, according to a report. Manchin, 72, who has served in the Senate since 2010 after previously serving as West Virginia’s governor, was unequivocal about his plans Thursday in an interview with Politico. “I will, absolutely,” Manchin said when asked if he will support Biden.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) is advising sheriffs in his state to stay on task processing concealed carry permit applications and issuing those permits for applicants legally able to carry a gun. Morrisey wants residents of this state to maintain the ability to defend themselves, regardless of coronavirus shutdowns and/or social distancing requirements. The NRA-ILA quoted Morrisey saying, “While we want our residents to be safe and practice good social distancing, we also want to ensure they can still exercise their right to keep and bear arms.” On March 27, 2020, Breitbart News reported Texas Attorney General Ken...

Earlier this week, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice placed a moratorium on all “elective” procedures and surgeries in the state through an executive order, and at a Wednesday news conference, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said the order will apply to “abortion facilities, as well.” Morrisey’s office did not respond to multiple requests to clarify or elaborate on his statement, which — if it does apply to abortions — may contradict language in the governor’s executive order. The executive order mandates all medical procedures that are “not immediately medically necessary to preserve the patient’s life or long-term health” should be rescheduled...

Add West Virginia to the list of states where the governor has banned abortions along with, other non-essential medical procedures, to help fight the coronavirus by conserving medical supplies. Governor Jim Justice, with the support of Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, has announced that all health care facilities postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not medically necessary during the current COVID-19 pandemic. In his statement the Governor said he would “suspend all elective medical procedures” effective 11:59 p.m. tonight. The purpose of these directives is to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for use...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some hospitals in West Virginia are starting to have cash flow problems with the doing away of elective surgeries and other procedures due to the coronavirus. West Virginia Hospital Association President Joe Letnaunchyn said many services normally offered are being put off in the current environment. “The Surgeon General said cancel elective surgeries and you cancel electives, you cancel other related ancillary services and the revenue stream dries up,” Letnaunchyn said during an appearance Monday on MetroNews “Talkline.” “So we’re trying to find alternate ways to provide revenue to the hospitals in the interim until the federal...

CHARLESTON, WV (WOAY) — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced Thursday his office has sent warning letters to landlords regarding alleged threats to evict tenants during the global coronavirus pandemic. West Virginia law prohibits unfair or deceptive conduct and has strict laws to protect tenants from unjust eviction. The letters were sent Tuesday and Wednesday. Specifics were not provided due to the ongoing investigations. “Many workers understandably have deep concerns about keeping a roof over their families’ heads,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “I get that landlords and property managers have a bottom line, but in this crisis, we must...

A representative from the WV Governor Jim Justice's office says that abortion is healthcare and not elective. However, science and statistics show that termination of a living viable human child in the womb is NOT a "medical necessity" nor "essential" to preserve the patient's life, but most often done simply because the mother desires it. Notice also what priority they place on abortion in the image below. It is listed first. So much for the importance of their "other services," which they are largely postponing at this time, but state are such a necessity for the "clinic" to stay open....

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has a message about the coronavirus pandemic: It’s like a scary movie. In an apparent attempt to sooth a nervous public, Justice, in a statewide address Saturday night, offered a rambling response to the virus in which he declined to order a broad lockdown, issued dire warnings about New York state, urged people to follow existing protocols and admitted that perhaps his speech could have waited until Monday. “It’s like we’re all lost in a movie that we can’t relate to in any way,” he said during the roughly 25-minute address that left many on...

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reports there are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in West Virginia as of Sunday evening. That’s according to the daily COVID-19 update from DHHR. According to the release, West Virginia, through its public health lab, has tested 41 residents for COVID-19, with 38 results coming back negative. There are three tests still pending. Now that COVID-19 testing is expanded and available through commercial laboratories and some hospitals, DHHR is only reporting those tests that have been processed through its state public health lab. All positive...

(WOAY) – Gov. Jim Justice has announced that he is closing all schools due to the threat of coronavirus. This is in effect until further notice. Gov. Justice says, “We’ve got a monster that is looming, but the monster is not here. Every single one of us believes the monster is coming to some degree.” Justice says he concluded because he has experience in the school system, usually as a coach.

The Democratic presidential field is down to two old, white males, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Though they are said to represent two polar-opposite wings of the party, on one issue, they are in complete agreement. They both have solemnly pledged to destroy millions of blue-collar jobs across Middle America's oil patch. Each has pledged to stop oil and gas development dead in its tracks. This anti-shale and gas movement has the zeal of a religious crusade. If that green agenda comes to pass, it will reverse the economic renaissance in states such as New Mexico,...

CHARLESTON — West Virginia remains “low risk” for COVID-19, the new coronavirus, but state officials are taking precautions and making preparations for a possible outbreak. Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Jim Justice and Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch said they are in contact with federal officials and have assembled a wide-ranging team of state medical experts, educators and others in response to the rapidly spreading virus. The virus is “slightly more severe” than the flu but not as contagious as the measles, Justice said. “We don’t have a case here in West Virginia, but we’ve got to be...

Republican Gov. Jim Justice today signed into law a bill to protect babies who survive abortions from infanticide. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (HB 4007/SB 231)now becomes state law to provide further protection for abortion survivors at a time when no Democrat running for president and Democrats in Congress have refused to do so. The Senate voted 32-0 in favor of the bill on February 10, 2020. The Born-Alive Bill’s overwhelming House passage by a 93-5 margin on January 15 was bipartisan as well. The Born-Alive Bill will enact requirements that a baby born alive during an abortion must...

The West Virginia Senate passed Senate Bill 96, a reform of the state weapons preemption law, on 11 February 2020. It passed with a vote of 30 in favor, 2 opposed. It appears all 50 states have some form of weapons preemption law.  Such laws prohibit local governments from enacting rules, ordinances or limits on the exercise of Second Amendment rights. This ensures some weapons laws are uniform across the entire state.The preemption laws vary in effectiveness and scope. In West Virginia, the current preemption law §8-12-5a has this heading: §8-12-5a. Limitations upon municipalities’ power to restrict the purchase, possession,...

When he’s not running the state, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is leading the Greenbrier East High girls basketball team — a post he’s held since 2003. Yet after an incident between the Spartans and rival Woodrow Wilson High School on Tuesday night, in which the game was suspended, Justice called the Wilson players “a bunch of thugs.” Naturally, his comments have sparked immense backlash in the days that followed. “I hate to say it any other way, but honest to God’s truth is the same thing happened over at Woodrow two different times out of the Woodrow players, they’re...

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is warning that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will have to “moderate” if he continues to maintain his frontrunner status in the Democrat primary, the West Virginia lawmaker emphasizing that he is “not going socialist.” Sanders’ successes in both Iowa and New Hampshire, combined with Joe Biden’s (D) poor performances, have several lawmakers increasingly considering the possibility of Vermont’s socialist senator winning the Democrat nomination.

A trio of swing-state senators got a lot of love from their fellow Democrats after voting “guilty” on two articles of impeachment against President Trump Wednesday, as their colleagues hailed them for political courage. Immediately after their historic votes, Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Doug Jones, D-Ala., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., were rushed by fellow Democrat lawmakers who gave them hugs, pats on the back and handshakes. As the three undecided Democrats before Wednesday’s vote, and under tremendous pressure from all sides, their decision to stick with their party led to an outpouring of support.

Please see Manchin starting at 6:40 of the linked speech talking about our “NATO ally” Ukraine.

KEYSER - The Mineral County Commission has declared the county a Second Amendment Sanctuary. During the commission’s Tuesday meeting, all three of the elected officials agreed to adopt the resolution dealing with the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. In part, that section of the constitution states, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” In addition, the West Virginia Constitution Article 21, has wording along the same lines that says, “A person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family, home, and state and for lawful...