former justice Workman beat out Beth Walker for seats on the Court. Walker would later win election in the Court's first nonpartisan election in 2016. Ketchum was sworn in on the Supreme Court of Appeals on December 18, 2008 and officially took his seat on January 1, 2009. Spring 2008: Four Democrats filed for two seats on the State Supreme Court for the 2008 elections. In addition to Ketchum, they were former Supreme Court of Appeals Justice Margaret Workman, the first woman to serve on the state's high court, WVU Law professor and ballot access advocate Bob Bastress, and incumbent Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard. Justice Larry Starcher declined to run for re-election, making one of seats an "open seat race." Additionally, then-Chief Justice Spike Maynard was up for re-election in 2008 after having been elected to a twelve-year term in 1996. During his re-election campaign, Maynard drew criticism when photos became public of him vacationing on the French Riviera in 2006 with Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship before voting with the majority in a 3-2 decision reversing a $76 million judgment against Massey Energy. At the time, Maynard said their friendship “has never influenced any decision I’ve made for the Court. Like most judges I don't reward my friends, or punish my enemies from the bench.” Despite outraising his competitors, fallout from the incident aided former justice Workman and Huntington attorney Menis Ketchum to win the Democratic nominations for two seats in the November general election. Time on the Court In 2016, Ketchum was named as the new vice president of the Conference of Chief Justices, an association of the top jurists of the states and territories. In 2017, he published "Pattern Jury Instructions," which took him five years to compile. The purpose of the instructions is so that "trial lawyers and judges to have at their disposal legally correct instructions that are understandable to a lay jury." Resignation and criminal conviction In 2018 WCHS-TV and other media began an inquiry into the court's spending. It was found that Ketchum used a state owned Buick for regular commuting purposes without reporting this as a fringe benefit on his income tax, used the Buick for several personal trips to Virginia and was paid slightly less than $1,700 in improper travel reimbursements. He then repaid the $1,700 and restated his taxes for the years in question. On July 11, 2018, he announced