CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The West Virginia Supreme Court has submitted a budget proposal a year after its spending practices triggered an impeachment scandal.
Chief Justice Beth Walker submitted the request Tuesday for $131.15 million in the 2020 fiscal year, compared with appropriations of $139.7 million this year.
Several justices were impeached in August, but a temporary panel ruled the efforts were a violation of the separation-of-powers doctrine.
Voters passed a constitutional amendment giving the Legislature greater oversight of judicial branch finances.
Walker was asked again about spending practices Tuesday. It was revealed a probation officer used a state purchasing card to spend $64.95 for an “item of clothing” at a Victoria’s Secret as a graduation gift for a juvenile drug court participant. Walker says while the purchase was not a policy violation, it “was not what we want to be doing.”
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