The Man Behind the Massey Disaster: Donald Blankenship's Storied Career of Misdeeds | BNET Energy Blog | BNET

The Man Behind the Massey Disaster: Donald Blankenship's Storied Career of Misdeeds BNET Energy Blog BNET: "Massey appealed and Blankenship took the necessary steps to make sure he didn’t lose — again. Blankenship plowed millions to unseat West Virginia State Supreme Court of Appeals Justice Warren McGraw and backed a likely ally Republican lawyer Brent Benjamin.

Blankenship succeeded, and Benjamin was elected to a 12-year term. When the case made to court, Benjamin didn’t recuse himself and Blankenship won the ruling. But the U.S. Supreme Court took notice and in a 5-4 ruling, reversed the West Virginia justices. Author John Grisham used the case as the basis for his 2008 novel The Appeal."