Matthew Jeffries Admonished

Fayette County, West Virginia magistrate Matthew "Matt" Jeffries was publicly admonished by the state's Judicial Investigation Commission after an investigation found he wore a law enforcement uniform in campaign advertisements and social media postings during the May 2022 magistrate election, and appeared in a photo sitting in front of campaign signs for two other candidates for nonjudicial office. The JIC found probable cause that Jeffries violated four different rules of the Code of Judicial Conduct. Jeffries, a first-time candidate, told the Commission he was unaware of the rules against wearing a uniform in campaign ads and would have stopped immediately had he known. The JIC found the violations serious enough to warrant public admonishment even though formal discipline was not deemed appropriate, stating the blame "falls solely and squarely at his feet alone."