By Leann Ray | Editor-in-chief
“Any admonishment of Judge Akers runs the danger of unconstitutionally chilling the speech of all West Virginia judges and depriving the public of information on the legal system which is of great public interest.” — The American Center for Law and Justice on ethics charges against Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Maryclaire Akers
Judge Maryclaire Akers (West Virginia Judiciary photo)
By Amelia Ferrell Knisely
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has dismissed ethics charges against Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Maryclaire Akers stemming from a radio interview where she spoke about the state’s foster care system.
NATIONAL
A crew member hoses down vegetation to keep a prescribed fire from spreading outside of a designated parcel. Local leaders in the small town of Roslyn, Washington, have embraced prescribed burns as a way to protect the community. (Photo by Alex Brown/Stateline)
By Alex Brown
A team is conducting a prescribed burn on a forested ridge in central Washington, above a small town, Roslyn, that was nearly wiped out by a wildfire just a few years ago. The specter of wildfire is one that increasingly haunts hundreds of communities throughout the West, and the work here could point them toward a new model of living with fire. But it won’t be easy.
By Shauneen Miranda
WASHINGTON — With less than 70 days until midterm elections, Democrats remain favored to regain the majority in the U.S. House.
By Jacob Fischler
A federal judge froze for two weeks a Trump administration regulation to restrict mail voting late Thursday, calling the U.S. Postal Service rule a violation of states’ power to administer elections.
By Shauneen Miranda
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration is appealing a federal judge’s temporary pause on a U.S. Postal Service regulation that places new restrictions on mail-in voting, according to a Friday court filing.
ICYMI
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