Supreme Court Ruling Deflates Massey Energy Shares

"Not every campaign contribution by a litigant or attorney creates a probability of bias that requires a judge's recusal, but this is an exceptional case," U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said in the ruling.

Kennedy and the court in essence ordered West Virginia's high court to reconsider the Massey case.

For its part, Massey said it was "disappointed" by the ruling, but remains hopeful a new verdict will be reached.

"We ... believe that any new examination of the same facts and same laws by new justices should yield the same result as before," the company said in a statement.