WV Democratic Party Calls on Chief Judge Dan Greear to Recuse Himself in Data Center Cases Involving Speaker Roger Hanshaw

Apr

2026

PRESS RELEASE

WV Democratic Party Calls on Chief Judge Dan Greear to Recuse Himself in Data Center Cases Involving Speaker Roger Hanshaw

For Immediate Release April 16, 2026

Charleston, WV — The West Virginia Democratic Party today called on Dan Greear, Chief Judge of the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals, to immediately recuse himself from any cases involving House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and his out-of-state data center developer clients due to serious and unavoidable conflicts of interest.

At issue are legal proceedings involving data center developments in which Speaker Hanshaw is serving as an attorney, while simultaneously presiding over the West Virginia House of Delegates as Speaker and advancing legislation benefiting those same interests, including the passage of House Bills 2014 and 4983.

“These facts alone raise serious ethical concerns,” said West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin. “But when you layer on Chief Judge Greear’s deep personal, professional, and financial ties to Speaker Hanshaw, the need for recusal becomes undeniable.”

Chief Judge Greear previously served as Speaker Hanshaw’s Chief Counsel before his appointment to the court in 2022. Since that time, Speaker Hanshaw has hosted multiple fundraisers supporting Greear’s campaign, raising nearly $60,000. The West Virginia Code of Judicial Conduct is clear: a judge must “disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned.”

“This is not a close call,” Pushkin continued. “When a judge has close professional monetary, and political, ties to an attorney appearing before the court—particularly one who also wields extraordinary power as Speaker of the House—public confidence in the fairness of the judicial system is at risk.”

The West Virginia Ethics Commission has previously recognized the unique authority of the Speaker, noting that the position “has far more power than all but one other member of the Legislature [the Senate president]” and receives greater compensation than rank-and-file legislators.

“That level of influence only heightens the stakes,” Pushkin said. “West Virginians deserve to know that cases involving powerful political insiders are being decided on the merits—not clouded by campaign contributions, relationships or political favoritism.”

The West Virginia Democratic Party is calling on Chief Judge Greear to immediately recuse himself from any proceedings involving Speaker Hanshaw and his data center clients in order to uphold the standards of judicial ethics and to maintain public trust in the judiciary.

###