CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia Supreme Court justice facing a 23-count federal indictment was impeached Monday along with two other justices over spending issues — part of an extraordinary move by lawmakers who are debating putting the entire court on trial in the Senate.

The House of Delegates voted to impeach Justice Allen Loughry on two articles, sending them to the Senate.

Lawmakers cited Loughry for allegedly spending $363,000 on renovations to his office and Justice Robin Davis for allegedly spending $500,000 on renovations. Also, Loughry was impeached in a separate article charging he took home a $42,000 antique desk owned by the state.

Chief Justice Margaret Workman and Davis were impeached for their roles in allowing senior judges to be paid more than allowed. Lawmakers say the overpayments violated state law and stopped when they were challenged by the Internal Revenue Service.

Minority Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, which approved the articles, had tried to speed the impeachment process in hopes of beating an Aug. 14 deadline for arranging a special election in November if any justice is impeached. Instead, the committee took its time, even conducting a tour of the state Supreme Court earlier this month.

If the committee completed its work by the end of the day Monday, the special election could still be held. If not, Republican Governor Jim Justice will be allowed to appoint new justices to replace any who are impeached — with no requirement that they be from the same party as the incumbent.

Associated Press