R. Joseph Zak
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R. Joseph Zak was a judge of the Eleventh Family Circuit in West Virginia. He was appointed by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin on September 12, 2014, to replace retired judge Michael J. Kelly. He won re-election in 2016 and served until he retired from the court on December 4, 2020.[1]
Education
Zak received both his undergraduate and J.D. degrees from West Virginia University.[2]
Career
At the time of his appointment, Zak was a fellow at the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and a hearing examiner for the West Virginia Board of Medicine. He has also served as a special assistant attorney general, a special commissioner of the 13th Judicial Circuit, a member of the West Virginia Workers' Compensation Appeal Board, and a hearing examiner for the West Virginia Board of Regents.[2]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2014: West Virginia Lawyer of the Year in Family Law
- Best Lawyers of America
- Who's Who in American Law
- America's Leading Lawyers[2]
Elections
2016
West Virginia held general elections for county judicial offices on May 10, 2016. This date coincided with partisan primaries for statewide and federal offices. The 2016 election was the first nonpartisan election for the state's judicial seats since statehood in 1863. Learn more about this change here. Candidates interested in filing for the election submitted paperwork by January 30, 2016. Incumbent R. Joseph Zak ran unopposed in the general election for the West Virginia Family Court Circuit 11, Division 3 seat.[3]
| West Virginia Family Court Circuit 11, Division 3 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 R. Joseph Zak Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 26,993 |
| Total Votes | 26,993 | |
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State, "Election Results Center," accessed May 10, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
Judges of the West Virginia Family Courts are each elected to six- and eight-year terms. Their initial term is six years and every subsequent term is eight years.[4] The elections for this court are nonpartisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a state citizen, a circuit resident, at least 30 years of age and have five years of law practice in the state.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of the Governor Jim Justice, "Gov. Justice appoints Ranson Stonestreet as judge for Eleventh Family Court Circuit serving Kanawha County," accessed July 7, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The State Journal, "R. Joseph Zak appointed family court judge in Kanawha County," September 12, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwv - ↑ West Virginia Judiciary, "Family Courts," accessed September 25, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: West Virginia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 3, 2014
