Judges appointed by Jim Justice
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This page lists judges appointed by Jim Justice (R) during his term as Governor of West Virginia. As of today, the total number of Justice appointees was 14. For the full profile of Justice, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some West Virginia judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Justice.
Appointment process
In West Virginia, the governor makes a judicial appointment to fill a vacancy. The judge serves the remainder of the unexpired term.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia |
September 25, 2018 - August 26, 2025 |
|
|
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia |
October 1, 2018 - February 6, 2022 |
|
|
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia |
April 27, 2022 - Present |
|
|
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia |
January 4, 2019 - December 31, 2024 |
Court of Appeals
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals Division 1 |
May 2, 2022 - December 31, 2024 |
|
|
West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals Division 2 |
May 6, 2022 - Present |
|
|
West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals Division 3 |
||
|
West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals Division 3 |
May 6, 2022 - Present |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Eleventh Family Court Circuit |
2020 - Present |
|
|
Fourteenth Circuit Court |
||
|
Thirteenth Circuit Court |
2021 - Present |
|
|
Thirteenth Circuit Court |
||
|
Twenty-Fourth Family Court Circuit |
August 23, 2021 - Present |
|
|
Twenty-Third Circuit Court |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in West Virginia
| Judicial selection in West Virginia | |
 | |
| Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 12 years |
| West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 10 years |
| West Virginia Circuit Court | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 8 years |
| West Virginia Family Courts | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 8 years |
| West Virginia Magistrate Courts | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in West Virginia, including:
- Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia,
- West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals,
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2025, judges in the state were selected through nonpartisan elections. Before April 2015, all judicial elections were partisan. In February 2015, both houses of the West Virginia State Legislature passed a bill to remove party affiliation from the judicial ballots, and the measure was signed into law by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D).[2]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[3] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[4] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[5] | 1[6] | 17[7] |
State profile
| Demographic data for West Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,841,053 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 24,038 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 93.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 3.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 0.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 1.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 19.2% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $41,751 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 22.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in West Virginia. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
West Virginia voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More West Virginia coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in West Virginia
- United States congressional delegations from West Virginia
- Public policy in West Virginia
- Endorsers in West Virginia
- West Virginia fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: West Virginia," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal Sysytem, "West Virginia Ends Partisan Elections for Judges," accessed April 17, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia
State courts:
Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia • West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals • West Virginia Circuit Courts • West Virginia Family Courts • West Virginia Magistrate Courts • West Virginia Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in West Virginia • West Virginia judicial elections • Judicial selection in West Virginia
