HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 55

(By Delegates Ridenour, Coop-Gonzalez, C. Pritt, Ward, Mallow, Phillips, Steele, Foster, Hillenbrand, Chiarelli, Adkins, Barnhart, Butler, Crouse, Dillon, Heckert, Kump, Longanacre, Marple, Marttin, Petitto, and Vance)

[Introduced January 30, 2024; referred to the Committee on the Judiciary then Rules]

Declaring that former President Trump is a non-resident citizen of the State of West Virginia.

Whereas, Trials conducted for political purposes are inimical to the Constitution of the United States and the American system of government and; interference by governmental entities in national elections directly affects the People of the State of West Virginia; and

Whereas, The Constitution of the United States affirms "Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed"; and

Whereas, The District of Columbia is not a state, but rather a political enclave that is the seat of the federal bureaucracy and is inhabited by politicians, bureaucrats and political actors who have political biases distinctly different from the several States; and

Whereas, In the 2020 election less than six percent of the voters of the District of Columbia voted for President Donald Trump and over 92 percent voted for Joseph Biden indicating an implicit bias against President Trump; and

Whereas, The Congress has the specified Constitutional duty to direct where trials occur if the alleged crimes do not occur within any state; and

Whereas, The current trials of former President Trump, including those in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, are obviously being conducted for political purposes and will obviously affect the national election in 2024; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Legislature of West Virginia does hereby declare that former President Trump is a non-resident citizen of the State of West Virginia. The Legislature of West Virginia requires that any trial of a West Virginian be conducted outside of the District of Columbia, preferably in the State of West Virginia; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Legislature of West Virginia requests the Congress of the United States direct that the current federal trial in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia of former President Trump be moved to West Virginia.