A Puzzle, a Wonder and a Miracle

By DON ROLLINS

“Big Jim Justice, the Governor of the Great State of West Virginia (I LOVE WEST VIRGINIA!), is BIG in every way … Strong on the Border, our Great Military & Vets, CLEAN COAL & Energy Dominance, the Economy, Stopping Inflation, & Protecting our 2nd Amendment, Big Jim will be a Great UNITED STATES SENATOR, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement …” - Donald Trump, Truth Social Post, 10/18/23

At 6-foot 7 inches and somewhere north of 360 pounds, two-term West Virginia governor “Big Jim” Justice is a mighty formidable physical presence. Current Republican frontrunner for the US Senate seat soon to be vacated by the mercurial Joe Manchin, Justice’s politics have proven just as imposing as his anatomy: As his administration enters its final months, Justice’s approval rating stands at 64%, fifth highest among sitting governors.

But while the onetime Democrat, now Trump-beholden Republican will likely coast his way through the GOP state primary and general election, Justice’s popularity belies a past and present that read more like a rap sheet than a resumé.

Running down the cornucopia of legal actions taken against Justice is like counting grains of sand; for, as is the case with many popular, deep-pocketed, chronically bad political actors, Justice and his sundry legal teams are practiced in the art of stalling the American legal system: fabricated grounds for delays, cascades of appeals and penny-on-the dollar settlements. It’s a smoke-and-mirrors approach that has shielded Justice from consequences only the truly well-connected can avoid.

Lawsuits against Justice-owned enterprises are fluid, but broadly consistent. Among the most egregious categories are those related to coal. But one example: Justice’s strip mines have racked up tens of millions in unpaid debt due to Environmental Protect Agency violations, including compensation for frontline miners made permanently ill by unsafe exposure. That tab is yet to be paid anywhere near in full.

While the list of pollution infractions is weighted directly toward coal, Justice and associates hold fossil-fuel related businesses far beyond West Virginia. Among them is one of Alabama’s oldest factories, located in Birmingham. The coke-producing plant is located in a predominantly Black neighborhood, where nauseous gasses were released over a period of years, causing widespread respiratory distress. A local health agency successfully sued Bluestone Coke (a Justice family-owned facility). The settlement was for $925,000, a far cry below the $60 million sought by the various plaintiffs.

And the Jim Justice lawsuit line doesn’t stop there. Thousands of other workers, vendors, attorneys, farmers, banks, cities, counties, states and federal agencies are in the mix as more Justice-owned entities are found to be engaged in illegal practices.

Justice’s fallback position as to why he can’t pay his debts in full involves a deal struck in 2009 between Justice’s Bluestone Resources and Mechel OAO, a Russian mining conglomerate. When coal values fell in 2015, Justice and family were coerced into buying back their old company for $5 million.

Coupled with other poor business decisions (and ever-present pending lawsuits) Forbes cited the Mechel exchanges would return Justice to multi-millionaire from billionaire status — all the cover Justice and associates needed to start playing poor mouth in courtrooms across the country.

How Big Jim Justice is on this side of jail bars is a puzzle. How he’s still at the helm of his 94 businesses is a wonder. How he’s a lock for the US Senate is a straight-up miracle.

Don Rollins is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister in Jackson, Ohio. Email donaldlrollins@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, March 15, 2024

Populist.com