State Supreme Court candidate Bob Bastress lashed out at Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard on Monday, calling on him again to release his e-mail and telephone records.

Bastress, a West Virginia University law professor whom Maynard once accused of using his office to run his campaign, also released his school e-mail and phone records. They showed no campaign work from his office, he said.

"My phone records and e-mails refute any assertion that I have been using my law school office to campaign for a position on the Supreme Court," Bastress said.

The Associated Press has filed a lawsuit against the court in an attempt to force Maynard to release the records. A hearing has been set for May 12.

At a Bluefield meeting of all candidates, Maynard said he  "probably" would release what the AP wants and said he did not know the "scope" of the AP's request.

"Why does Justice Maynard not know the scope of the FOIA request and why did the court claim that the Freedom of Information Act is unconstitutional when Justice Maynard and all of the current Supreme Court candidates agree that the act does apply to communications between judges and parties in a pending case?" Bastress said.

He noted Steve Canterbury, the high court's administrator who also was Maynard's campaign manager when he last ran for the court, said the court has hired four lawyers from three firms to defend Maynard. He called on Maynard to reveal if any of those lawyers previously or currently had represented Massey Energy.

In December, pictures of Don Blankenship, Massey Energy's CEO, and Maynard vacationing along the French Riviera and in the principality of Monaco were filed with the Supreme Court. Since then, Maynard has recused himself from hearing Massey cases.

"It is unfortunate that at a time when our Supreme Court is under a cloud of suspicion, the court administrator prefers to cloak the court in darkness rather than open public records to the sunshine," Bastress said.

Bastress, a West Virginia University law professor whom Maynard once accused of using his office to run his campaign, also released his school e-mail and phone records. They showed no campaign work from his office, he said.

"My phone records and e-mails refute any assertion that I have been using my law school office to campaign for a position on the Supreme Court," Bastress said.

The Associated Press has filed a lawsuit against the court in an attempt to force Maynard to release the records. A hearing has been set for May 12.

At a Bluefield meeting of all candidates, Maynard said he  "probably" would release what the AP wants and said he did not know the "scope" of the AP's request.

"Why does Justice Maynard not know the scope of the FOIA request and why did the court claim that the Freedom of Information Act is unconstitutional when Justice Maynard and all of the current Supreme Court candidates agree that the act does apply to communications between judges and parties in a pending case?" Bastress said.

He noted Steve Canterbury, the high court's administrator who also was Maynard's campaign manager when he last ran for the court, said the court has hired four lawyers from three firms to defend Maynard. He called on Maynard to reveal if any of those lawyers previously or currently had represented Massey Energy.

In December, pictures of Don Blankenship, Massey Energy's CEO, and Maynard vacationing along the French Riviera and in the principality of Monaco were filed with the Supreme Court. Since then, Maynard has recused himself from hearing Massey cases.

"It is unfortunate that at a time when our Supreme Court is under a cloud of suspicion, the court administrator prefers to cloak the court in darkness rather than open public records to the sunshine," Bastress said.