Judge seeks recusal in West Virginia data center case due to conflict of interest

Daniel Greear, Chief Judge for the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals, has requested to recuse himself from a legal challenge involving a proposed data center complex in Tucker County, West Virginia. The request for recusal was prompted by conflict-of-interest concerns raised by opponents of the data center development. Judge Greear has close ties to Roger Hanshaw, Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates and an attorney with Bowles Rice, who recently joined as legal representation for the data center developer. The recusal request is awaiting approval from the Supreme Court of Appeals chief justice. Separately, Country Roads News is seeking information from Governor Patrick Morrisey’s office regarding when he will visit Tucker County to publicly address questions about the data center proposal. Despite a spokesman indicating the Governor enjoys his time in Tucker County and plans to return, there is no public record of his appearances in the county since taking office, and no specific dates have been provided for a visit.