West Virginia Supreme Court elections
There are five justices on the West Virginia Supreme Court. For more information about these elections, visit the West Virginia judicial elections page.
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in West Virginia
The five justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals are chosen in nonpartisan statewide elections to serve 12-year terms. They must run for re-election when their terms expire.[1]
Qualifications
To serve on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, a judge must be:
- a citizen of West Virginia for at least five years;
- at least 30 years old; and
- practiced in law for at least 10 years.[1]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court of appeals is selected by peer vote for a one-year term.[1]
Vacancies
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.[1]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
Elections
2024
Haley Bunn's seat
General election
General election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Incumbent Haley Bunn won election in the general election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Haley Bunn (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 246,083 |
| Total votes: 246,083 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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John A. Hutchison's seat
General election
General election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Charles S. Trump IV won election in the general election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Charles S. Trump IV (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 230,850 |
| Total votes: 230,850 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2020
Division 1
General election
General election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Incumbent Tim Armstead defeated Richard Neely and David W. Hummel Jr. in the general election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tim Armstead (Nonpartisan) | 40.9 | 155,306 |
 | Richard Neely (Nonpartisan) | 35.8 | 135,938 | |
| David W. Hummel Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 23.3 | 88,263 | ||
| Total votes: 379,507 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Division 2
General election
General election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
William Wooton defeated Joanna I. Tabit, Kris Raynes, and Jim Douglas in the general election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | William Wooton (Nonpartisan) | 30.8 | 117,927 |
 | Joanna I. Tabit (Nonpartisan) | 29.6 | 113,116 | |
 | Kris Raynes (Nonpartisan) | 19.9 | 76,191 | |
 | Jim Douglas (Nonpartisan) | 19.7 | 75,247 | |
| Total votes: 382,481 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Division 3
General election
General election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Incumbent John A. Hutchison defeated Lora Dyer and William Schwartz in the general election for Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John A. Hutchison (Nonpartisan) | 39.2 | 141,176 |
 | Lora Dyer (Nonpartisan) | 35.6 | 128,106 | |
 | William Schwartz (Nonpartisan) | 25.2 | 90,829 | |
| Total votes: 360,111 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
Tim Armstead and Evan Jenkins won the two seats up for special election on the West Virginia Supreme Court on November 6, 2018. Twenty candidates filed for the two seats. Elections for the court are nonpartisan.
The elections were triggered after Justices Menis Ketchum and Robin Davis resigned from office effective July 27 and August 13, respectively. Both justices' resignations came amidst an investigation of the entire state Supreme Court stemming from the alleged misuse of state funds, specifically relating to $360,000 spent to renovate offices at the courthouse, as well as the improper use of state vehicles.[3]
Justice Ketchum's resignation came shortly after the West Virginia General Assembly convened in a special session to discuss "[m]atters relating to the removal of one or more Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, including, but not limited to, censure, impeachment, trial, conviction, and disqualification."[4] According to Metro News, Ketchum was involved in an investigation related to the improper use of state vehicles for personal gain. A legislative audit indicated that Ketchum failed to report the use of the vehicles on his personal income tax returns.[5]
Justice Davis resigned one day after the West Virginia House of Delegates voted to begin impeachment proceedings on all of the remaining West Virginia Supreme Court justices. Governor Jim Justice then released a proclamation that the special election for Davis' seat would be held concurrently with the November general election.
For more detailed information on the impeachment proceedings, click here.[6]
Candidates
Division 1 (Ketchum's seat)
General election candidates
- Tim Armstead (Nonpartisan) ✔
- Harry Bruner Jr. (Nonpartisan)
- Robert Carlton (Nonpartisan)
- Ronald Hatfield Jr. (Nonpartisan)
- Mark Hunt (Nonpartisan)
- Hiram Lewis IV (Nonpartisan)
- D.C. Offutt Jr. (Nonpartisan)
- Joanna I. Tabit (Nonpartisan)
- Chris Wilkes (Nonpartisan)
- Jeff Woods (Nonpartisan)
Division 2 (Davis' seat)
General election candidates
- Evan Jenkins (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
- Jim Douglas (Nonpartisan)
- Robert Frank (Nonpartisan)
- Jeffrey Kessler (Nonpartisan)
- Brenden Long (Nonpartisan)
- Jim O'Brien (Nonpartisan)
- William Schwartz (Nonpartisan)
- Marty Sheehan (Nonpartisan)
- Dennise Renee Smith (Nonpartisan)
- William Stewart Thompson (Nonpartisan)
2016
One seat on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia was on the nonpartisan general election ballot on May 10, 2016. The seat was held by Justice Brent Benjamin heading into the election. Beth Walker defeated the incumbent Benjamin and three other candidates.
Candidates
- Though West Virginia's state judicial elections are nonpartisan beginning in 2016, Ballotpedia shows candidates' known affiliations from prior elections or offices held to indicate how the ideological balance of the court could shift as a result of the election.
■ Brent Benjamin 
(Incumbent)
■ Wayne King 
■ Darrell V. McGraw, Jr.
■ Beth Walker 
■ William Wooton [7]
Election results
| West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, Justice Benjamin's Seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Beth Walker |
39.62% | 162,245 |
| Darrell V. McGraw, Jr. | 23.08% | 94,538 |
| William Wooton | 20.67% | 84,641 |
| Brent Benjamin Incumbent | 12.47% | 51,064 |
| Wayne King | 4.16% | 17,054 |
| Total Votes (100% Reporting) | 409,542 | |
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State Official Results | ||
2012
See also: West Virginia judicial elections, 2012
| Candidate | Incumbency | Party | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Allen Loughry  | No | Republican | 26.27% | |
| H. John Rogers | ||||
| J.D. Beane | No | Democratic | 11% | |
| John Yoder | No | 23.92%  | ||
| Letitia Chafin | No | Democratic | 27% | 22.69% |
| Louis Palmer | No | Democratic | 6% | |
| Robin Jean Davis | Yes | Democratic | 28% | 27.11% |
2010
See also: West Virginia judicial elections, 2010
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Primary votes | Primary % | Election votes | Election % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thomas E. McHugh  |
Yes | McHugh Seat | Democratic | 105,188 | 100% | 239,622 | 50.8% |
| John Yoder | No | McHugh Seat | Republican | 59,492 | 100% | 231,669 | 49.1% |
2008
Menis Ketchum and Margaret Workman were elected to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in a three-way race for two open seats in the general election.
In the May primary, incumbent Justice Elliott Maynard did not garner enough votes to advance to the general election. Democrat Menis Ketchum and Margaret Workman won the Democratic primary, while Beth Walker ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Primary votes | Primary % | Election votes | Election % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menis Ketchum |
No | Maynard Seat | Democratic | 135,563 | 27% | 355,778 | 34.8% |
| Margaret Workman |
No | Maynard Seat | Democratic | 180,599 | 35.9% | 336,346 | 32.9% |
| Elizabeth Walker | No | Maynard Seat | Republican | 86,545 | 100% | 329,395 | 32.2% |
| Elliott E. Maynard | Yes | Maynard Seat | Democratic | 97,409 | 19.4% | ||
| Robert Bastress | No | Maynard Seat | Democratic | 88,490 | 17.6% |
Follow the Money
For candidates' campaign contributions, see their links at Follow the Money.
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- West Virginia Judiciary, "Supreme Court of Appeals," accessed April 17, 2014
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 National Center for State Courts, "Selection of Judges," accessed August 13, 2021
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: West Virginia; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
- ↑ The Intelligencer, "Court of Appeals To Be Evaluated for Impeachment," June 23, 2018
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "Gov. Justice issues proclamation calling for special session of Legislature on Tuesday, June 26, 2018," June 25, 2018
- ↑ Metro News, "Justice Ketchum steps away from the Supreme Court," July 11, 2018
- ↑ WOWKTV.com, "Special Election announced to fill WV Supreme Court Seat," August 14, 2018
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Elections," accessed February 3, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, 2010 Primary and General Election Results
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, 2008 Primary and General Election Results
