(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

It is clear Gov. Jim Justice had in mind a picture to paint of C. Haley Bunn, his appointee to fill a vacant state Supreme Court seat.

“Coal miner’s daughter” and “strong conservative voice” who “understands the importance of faith, traditional values, and law and order,” he said of Bunn. He added, perhaps in a nod to her impressive work defending corporations from lawsuits, “She knows that for our economy to continue growing, employers and job creators have to be confident they can get a fair shake in our courts.”

Yes, the Wyoming County native has generations of underground coal miners in her family, and her husband’s family has run coal mines and related companies in the state for decades; and she is a board member for the Bible Center School in Charleston.

She is also a smart and experienced attorney who has served as both a defender and prosecutor — including as part of the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. There she became one of 12 prosecutors nationwide to be part of the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit. She also assisted in prosecuting a major corruption probe of Mingo County officials in 2014, which resulted in prison terms for four of those officials.

Bunn will most likely sit on the state Supreme Court until 2024, at which point the seat will be up for election. She appears to be the type of person who, during that time, will diligently work to serve the people of West Virginia by ruling not based on family history and connections, political whim and popular opinion, but rather on ethical interpretation of the law.

Justice is a showman, and did his job in announcing Bunn’s appointment. Now, Bunn appears poised to do hers.