Fayette magistrate admonished for campaign actions
Sep. 29—A current Fayette County magistrate has been admonished by the Judicial Investigation Commission of West Virginia for his actions during the 2022 primary election.
According to an Aug. 16 ruling by the JIC, Matt Jeffries — who was elected as one of the four Fayette County magistrates in the 2022 primary — was issued the admonishment following an investigation of a judicial ethics complaint filed on May 25 by former magistrate, Shawn L. Campbell, whom Jeffries defeated handily in the primary to fill an unexpired term.
According to a report by Alan D. Moats, chairperson of the JIC, Campbell alleged that Jeffries "improperly wore a law enforcement uniform in campaign advertisements/social media postings for magistrate in the May 2022 election and created the appearance that he was publicly supporting other candidates for nonjudicial office in violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct."
Campbell alleged that Jeffries wore his law enforcement uniform in some of his campaign advertisements/postings during the magistrate election cycle, and Campbell provided two photos to support his claim. He also supplied a photo of Jeffries sitting in front of campaign signs for two other candidates for non-judicial office while talking to another individual.
At its Aug. 12 meeting, the JIC said that, after investigation, it unanimously found probable cause to believe that Jeffries violated Rules 1.1, 1.2, 4.l(A)(3) and 4.2(A)(l) of the Code of Judicial Conduct and, because of that, ordered that he be publicly admonished pursuant to Rules 1.11 and 2.7(c) of the Rules of Judicial Disciplinary Procedure.
The commission determined that formal discipline was not appropriate under the circumstances presented. However, the JIC did find that the violations were serious enough to warrant public admonishment.
The JIC findings said that Jeffries should have been aware of the Code of Judicial Conduct as it relates to political and campaign activities of judges and judicial candidates in general.
"... it is the decision of the Judicial Investigation Commission that the Honorable Matthew Jeffries, magistrate of Fayette County, be disciplined. Accordingly, the Judicial Investigation Commission hereby publicly admonishes Magistrate Jeffries for his conduct as fully set forth in the matters asserted herein and warns him to refrain from engaging in similar behavior in the future," read part of the JIC filing.
"I was a first-time candidate for public office in the 2022 Primary Election and had no knowledge of the rules and regulations prohibiting candidates from wearing a uniform in advertisements promoting their candidacy," Jeffries said in reply to a June 23 JIC request for a response to the allegations. "Obviously, had I known of this prohibition during my campaign, I would have immediately discontinued the use of such depiction of myself in uniform."
The blame for Jeffries not being aware of the requirements for conduct "falls solely and squarely at his feet alone, and he must be held accountable for his misconduct," the JIC filing said. The JIC pointed out that the Code of Judicial Conduct is available on its website, and a campaign handbook is available both on the JIC website and the West Virginia Secretary of State's website.
"I now realize mistakes were made during my campaign as a first-time candidate for public office," Jeffries said in a statement this week. "They were not made knowingly or intentionally.
"I have accepted the admonishment from the Judicial Investigations Commission and will use the information I have learned from these mistakes to ensure that they do not occur again."
"I thank the citizens of Fayette County for their confidence in electing me magistrate and will continue to serve with integrity and fairness in accordance with the law," Jeffries concluded.
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