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Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Justice Walker vacancy (June 2025)

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West Virginia Supreme Court
Beth Walker.jpg
Walker vacancy
Date:
June 27, 2025
Status:
Seat filled
Nomination
Nominee:
Thomas Ewing
Date:
August 6, 2025
See also: Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Justice Armstead vacancy (August 2025)

Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) appointed Thomas Ewing to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia to replace outgoing Justice Beth Walker, who retired on June 27, 2025.[1] Ewing was appointed on August 6, 2025, and is Governor Morrisey's (R) first nominee to the five-member supreme court. He took office the same day.

In West Virginia, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.

In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement from a list of two to five qualified applicants submitted by a nominating commission.[2] The appointee serves until the next general election, at which point he or she may compete to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.[3]

Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia vacancy:

The appointee

See also: Thomas Ewing
Tom Ewing.jpg

On August 6, 2025, Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) appointed Thomas Ewing to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia to replace outgoing Justice Beth Walker, who retired on June 27, 2025.[1][4]

Ewing served as a circuit judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Fayette County from 2018 to 2025. He has two bachelor's degrees from Glenville State College and a law degree from West Virginia University.[5]

Appointee candidates and nominations

Finalists

On July 18, 2025, the West Virginia Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission released a list of 4 finalists that made it through the interview process. These finalists are sent to Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) who will make the final appointment. The finalists were:[6]

Applicants

The West Virginia Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission released a list of 15 applicants that had applied to fill the vacancy on the state's highest court. The applicants were:[8]

The selection process

See also: Judicial selection in West Virginia

In West Virginia, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.

Makeup of the court

See also: Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia

Justices

Following Walker's retirement, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia included the following members:

Tim Armstead Appointed by Gov. Jim Justice (R) in 2018
C. Haley Bunn Appointed by Gov. Jim Justice (R) in 2022
Charles S. Trump IV Elected in 2024
William Wooton Elected in 2020

About the court

Founded in 1872, the West Virginia Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is William Wooton. In 2018, the court decided 1,143 cases.

As of August 2025, two judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor. Two judges were also elected in a nonpartisan election.

The court meets in the Capitol Complex building in Charleston, West Virginia. The court is in session beginning on the second Tuesday in January and ending in June, and from the first Wednesday in September to November.[10]

About Justice Walker

See also: Beth Walker
Beth Walker.jpg

Walker graduated from Hillsdale College in 1987 and received her J.D. from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1990.[11][12] Walker worked as an attorney for the West Virginia University Health System, .[12] She was formerly a partner at Bowles Rice, where she practiced labor and employment law for more than 20 years.[13]

Other state supreme court appointments in 2025

See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2025

The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2025. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.

Click here for vacancies that opened in 2024.

2025 State
Supreme Court Vacancies
View supreme court vacancies by state:


See also

West Virginia Judicial Selection More Courts
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Courts in West Virginia
West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals
West Virginia Supreme Court
Elections: 202520242023202220212020201920182017
Gubernatorial appointments
Judicial selection in West Virginia
Federal courts
State courts
Local courts

External links

Footnotes