SER State of West Virginia v. Hon. Robert A. Burnside, Jr., and Richard Hardison, Jr.

SIMS, Judge.,

dissenting:

I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion.

The issue in this case is the statutory construction of the West Virginia Wiretapping Act, W.Va.Code § 62-1D-1 et seq. [1987].

The law of statutory construction in West Virginia is well settled. In State of West Va. v. Cont’l Cas. Co., 130 W.Va. 147, 42 S.E.2d 820 (1947), the Court held

When a statute is clear and unambiguous, and the legislative intent is plain, the statute should not be interpreted by the courts. 50 Am.Jur., Statutes, Section 225. See State ex rel. McLaughlin v. Morris, 128 W.Va. 456, 37 S.E.2d 85…