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Tod J. Kaufman
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Tod J. Kaufman was a judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, which presides over Kanawha County in West Virginia.[1]
Kaufman ran for re-election in 2016.[2] Tod J. Kaufman won the general election on May 10, 2016.
Kaufman retired from the court effective March 31, 2021 before the end of his term.[3]
Education
Kaufman received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University and his J.D. from the West Virginia University College of Law.[4]
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 Tod Kaufman ran unopposed in the general election for the West Virginia Judicial Circuit 13, Division 3 seat.[2]
| West Virginia Judicial Circuit 13, Division 3 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tod Kaufman Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.41% | 33,449 |
| Write-in votes | 0.59% | 199 |
| Total Votes | 33,648 | |
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State, "Election Results Center," accessed May 10, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
The judges of the West Virginia Circuit Court are elected in nonpartisan elections to serve eight-year terms. Judges must run for re-election when their terms expire.[5]
The chief judge of each circuit court is selected by peer vote. Term lengths vary by circuit.[5]
Qualifications
To serve on a West Virginia Circuit Court, a judge must be:[5]
- a citizen of West Virginia for at least five years;
- a resident of his or her circuit;
- at least 30 years old; and
- practiced in law for at least five years.
Noteworthy events
Woman receives home confinement in 2009 murder
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit judge Tod J. Kaufman, of West Virginia, sentenced Rhonda Stewart, 56, to home confinement for the 2009 murder of her husband.[6]
Stewart was initially convicted by a jury of first-degree murder in 2009, for the death of her husband, Sammy. Stewart shot her husband as he lay in a hospital bed in the intensive care unit. The husband and wife had been involved in an argument the day of the murder, presumably when Sammy awakened from his coma. After the argument, Rhonda Stewart drove home, retrieved a gun, drove back to the hospital, and fatally shot her husband.[6] She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Following the conviction, the West Virginia Supreme Court overturned the ruling, noting that the jury was unaware of the years of abuse Rhonda Stewart had suffered. This hearing in response to the Supreme Court's ruling was not a jury trial, and Judge Kaufman alone heard the testimony about the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse that Rhonda Stewart was subjected to during her four decades-long relationship with Sammy Stewart. In addition to her testimony, her two daughters also spoke on her behalf.
Stewart expressed remorse for the killing, and pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charges she was presented with. Second-degree murder was deemed to be appropriate, as she testified that she had actually returned to the ICU to kill herself in front of her husband, but accidentally shot him instead; she maintains that there was no pre-meditation, and psychologists have supported her statements. Stewart may be free in six years if she does not violate the terms of her home confinement.[6]
The case was unusual among similar domestic violence situations, as murders arising out of domestic violence normally occur during the argument or altercation.[6]
See also
External links
- West Virginia Judiciary: Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Judges and Court Information
- West Virginia Judiciary, "Circuit Courts Overview"
- West Virginia Judiciary, "Court Information by County"
Footnotes
- ↑ West Virginia Judiciary: Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Judges and Court Information
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Search," accessed February 16, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Longtime Kanawha Circuit Judge Kaufman submits resignation letter," accessed July 12, 2022
- ↑ Martindale.com, Judge Profile: Tod J. Kaufman
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: West Virginia," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 The Daily Mail, "Woman gets home confinement in husband's fatal hospital shooting," March 19, 2013
