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West Virginia local trial court judicial elections, 2016
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West Virginia held general elections for 277 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.[1]
Incumbents ran for re-election in 79.7 percent of the county judicial seats up for election in 2016. Unopposed seats represented 55.5 percent of county judicial seats on the general election ballot. Incumbents in contested races had a 74.2 percent success rate in 2016. Click here to learn more about term lengths and other requirements for county court seats in West Virginia.
Elections
Contested seats
Circuit Court
Judicial Circuit 2
Division 1
- ☑ Jeff Cramer (i)
- ☐ John Artimez
Judicial Circuit 4
Division 3
Judicial Circuit 5
Division 2
Division 3
Judicial Circuit 6
Division 1
- ☑ Alfred Ferguson (i)
- ☐ Scott Andrews
Division 2
Judicial Circuit 7
Division 1
- ☐ Douglas Witten (i)
- ☑ Joshua Butcher
Judicial Circuit 9
Division 3
Judicial Circuit 10
Division 3
- ☑ Robert Burnside (i)
- ☐ Michael Froble
Division 4
- ☐ James Brown
- ☑ Andrew Dimlich
- ☐ Cindy Kiblinger Fernald
- ☐ Christopher Lefler
- ☐ M.J. Ahmed
- ☐ John Parkulo
- ☐ Darl Poling
- ☐ Stanley Selden
- ☐ Clyde Smith Jr.
- ☐ Russell Wooton
Judicial Circuit 14
Division 2
- ☑ Jack Alsop (i)
- ☐ Hiram Lewis IV
Judicial Circuit 15
Division 1
- ☐ Robert Greer
- ☐ Kevin Keeley Griffith
- ☐ Ryan Kennedy
- ☐ Thomas Kupec
- ☑ Chris McCarthy
- ☐ D. Andrew McMunn
Judicial Circuit 17
Division 1
- ☑ Susan Tucker (i)
- ☐ Tim Linkous
- ☐ Gail Voorhees Lipscomb
Division 3
- ☑ Phil Gaujot (i)
- ☐ Cindy Scott
- ☐ Debra Scudiere
Judicial Circuit 18
- ☑ Lawrance Miller (i)
- ☐ William Means
Judicial District 21
Division 2
- ☑ James Courrier Jr. (i)
- ☐ Jason Sites
Judicial Circuit 22
Division 2
Judicial Circuit 23
Division 1
Division 6
Judicial Circuit 26
Division 2
Judicial Circuit 28
- ☐ Gary Johnson (i)
- ☑ Steve Callaghan
Judicial Circuit 30
- ☑ Miki Thompson (i)
- ☐ Robert Carlton
- ☐ Teresa McCune
Judicial Circuit 31
- ☑ Robert Irons (i)
- ☐ Kent Hellems
Family Court
Circuit 1
Division 2
- ☑ William Sinclair (i)
- ☐ Michael Safcsak
- ☐ Wayne Mielke
Circuit 3
Division 1
Circuit 6
Division 1
- ☐ Ronald Anderson (i)
- ☑ Jason Spears
Division 3
Circuit 8
- ☑ Sabrina Deskins (i)
- ☐ Tonya Hatfield
Circuit 9
Division 2
- ☑ Christopher Workman (i)
- ☐ Donna Pratt
Circuit 10
Division 1
- ☐ Cynthia Jarrell (i)
- ☑ Bobby Hale
Circuit 11
Division 1
- ☑ Rob Montgomery (i)
- ☐ Patrick Cottrell
Division 5
- ☐ Sharon Mullens (i)
- ☑ Jim Douglas
Circuit 13
Division 3
- ☐ Bruce Lazenby (i)
- ☑ Eric Shuck
Circuit 15
- ☑ David Sanders (i)
- ☐ Martha Fleshman
Circuit 16
Circuit 17
Circuit 18
Division 1
Circuit 19
- ☐ Amy Swisher (i)
- ☑ Susan Riffle
Circuit 21
Circuit 22
- ☐ Michele Good (i)
- ☑ Lori Haynes
Circuit 24
Division 2
- ☑ Sally Jackson (i)
- ☐ Tia Coode
- ☐ Christine Glover
Magistrate Court
Barbour County
Division 1
- ☑ Kathi McBee (i)
- ☐ Mark Ryan
Division 2
Berkeley County
Division 3
Division 4
- ☑ Robert Lowe II (i)
- ☐ Kenneth Mattson
Boone County
Division 1
- ☐ Porter Snodgrass (i)
- ☑ Neil Byrnside
Division 2
- ☐ Sam Burns (i)
- ☑ Danny Moore Jr.
Braxton County
Division 2
Brooke County
Division 2
- ☐ Linda J.R. Viderman (i)
- ☑ Daniell Diserio
Cabell County
Division 1
- ☑ John McCallister (i)
- ☐ Cass McMillian
- ☐ Sarah Spurlock
Division 3
- ☑ Danne Vance (i)
- ☐ Timothy Fox
- ☐ Linda Hensley
- ☐ Bill Toney Jr.
Division 4
- ☑ Rondall Baumgardner (i)
- ☐ Johnny Ray Rice
Division 5
Division 6
- ☑ Darrell Black (i)
- ☐ Joe Jefferson
- ☐ Opal Sanders
Calhoun County
Division 2
- ☑ Lora Davis (i)
- ☐ Jim Hughes
- ☐ Ryan Underwood
Fayette County
Division 2
- ☑ Leonard Bickford (i)
- ☐ Joe Crist
- ☐ Sara Hypes-Hambrick
- ☐ Aaron Shrewsbury
Division 3
- ☑ Samuel Parsons (i)
- ☐ Randy Prince
Gilmer County
Division 2
- ☑ Alton Skinner II (i)
- ☐ Clarissa Ferrell
- ☐ Pam Cutlip
Grant County
Division 2
Greenbrier County
Division 2
Hampshire County
Division 1
Hancock County
Division 2
- ☑ Michael Powell (i)
- ☐ David Robinson
Division 3
- ☑ Mike White (i)
- ☐ Stu Mynes
Hardy County
Division 2
Harrison County
Division 2
- ☑ Tammy Marple (i)
- ☐ Michale Weiss
Division 4
- ☑ Keith Marple (i)
- ☐ Salvatore Bombarderie
- ☐ Josh Owens
Division 5
- ☑ Mark Gorby (i)
- ☐ Garth Beck
- ☐ Joseph Carbacio
- ☐ David Robinson
Jefferson County
Division 1
- ☑ Gail Boober (i)
- ☐ Ginny Harrison
Division 2
- ☑ William Senseney (i)
- ☐ Ron Rossi
Division 3
- ☑ Mary Rissler (i)
- ☐ Arthur Cridler
Kanawha County
Division 2
- ☐ Ward Harshbarger III (i)
- ☐ Cecilia Thomas
- ☑ Rusty Casto
Division 3
- ☑ Brent Hall (i)
- ☐ Marva Lee Crouch
- ☐ Kathy Ferguson
Division 5
- ☑ Michael Sisson (i)
- ☐ Pam Nixon
Division 7
- ☑ Julie Yeager (i)
- ☐ Melanie Rucker
Division 8
- ☑ Kim Aaron (i)
- ☐ Todd Chevalier
Division 9
- ☑ Tim Halloran (i)
- ☐ Dianna Graves
- ☐ Margaret Chico-Eddy
- ☐ Steve Harper
- ☐ Paris Workman
Lewis County
Division 1
- ☑ Roger Clem Jr. (i)
- ☐ Ed Browning
Lincoln County
Division 1
- ☐ Kay Adkins
- ☑ Kim Clayton
- ☐ Tina Humphries
- ☐ Jamie Messr
- ☐ Lisa Ramey
- ☐ Roger Smith
Logan County
Division 1
- ☐ Steven Gray (i)
- ☑ Joe Mendez
- ☐ Estel Murray
Mason County
Division 1
- ☑ Cheryl Miller-Ross (i)
- ☐ John Machir
McDowell County
Division 3
- ☑ Danny Mitchell (i)
- ☐ John Andy Vance
Mercer County
Division 2
- ☑ Susan Honaker (i)
- ☐ John Howell
Division 3
- ☑ Sandra Dorsey (i)
- ☐ Rick Akers
- ☐ Keith Compton
Division 4
- ☑ Charles Poe (i)
- ☐ Michael Burnopp
- ☐ Max Morris
- ☐ Helen Phillips
- ☐ Pam Sizemore-Plumley
Division 5
Mineral County
Division 1
Division 2
Mingo County
Division 1
- ☐ Brock Mounts (i)
- ☑ Donald Sansom
- ☐ Billy Sexton
Division 2
- ☐ Barry Marcum (i)
- ☐ James Fugett
- ☑ Dave Justice
Division 3
- ☑ Jim Harvey (i)
- ☐ Scott Smith
- ☐ Donald Roy Stevens
- ☐ Michele Webb
Monongalia County
Division 1
- ☑ Hershel Mullins (i)
- ☐ Mark Myers
Division 3
- ☑ Jim Nabors (i)
- ☐ Jeffrey Haught
Division 4
- ☑ Sandy Holepit (i)
- ☐ Thomas Yank Ballock
Monroe County
Division 2
Morgan County
Division 1
- ☐ Greg Miller (i)
- ☑ Debra Ditto
Nicholas County
Division 3
- ☐ Beth Boso
- ☑ Mike Hanks
Ohio County
Division 1
- ☑ Charles Murphy (i)
- ☐ Justin Hershberger
- ☐ Desiree Lyonette
Division 2
- ☑ Patricia Murphy (i)
- ☐ Mark Garrett
Pendleton County
Division 1
- ☑ Andrew Hinkle (i)
- ☐ Stephen Heavner
Pocahontas County
Division 2
- ☑ Carrie Wilfong (i)
- ☐ Tanner Graham
- ☐ Randall Irvine
- ☐ Donna Meadows Price
- ☐ Robert Sharp
Preston County
Division 1
- ☑ Lewis Ault (i)
- ☐ Rhonda Sypolt
Division 2
Division 3
- ☑ Harold E. Jenkins, Jr. (i)
- ☐ John Bartlett
Putnam County
Division 2
Raleigh County
Division 5
Randolph County
Division 1
- ☑ Robert Elbon Jr. (i)
- ☐ Chris Heflin
Roane County
Division 1
- ☑ Jason Bennett (i)
- ☐ John Caldwell Jr.
Taylor County
Division 1
Tyler County
Division 1
Upshur County
Division 2
- ☐ Juanita Adams (i)
- ☑ Kay Hurst
Wayne County
Division 1
- ☑ David Ferguson (i)
- ☐ Tina Turner Sarver
Division 2
- ☑ Randy Wiles (i)
- ☐ Ethan Peake
Division 3
- ☐ John Cavins (i)
- ☐ Andy Battista
- ☐ Todd Mays
- ☑ Billy Dell Runyon
Webster County
Division 1
- ☐ John Stone (i)
- ☑ Ryan Bruffy
- ☐ Daniel Lehman
Division 2
- ☑ Richard Robertson (i)
- ☐ Victor McClure
Wetzel County
Division 2
- ☑ Judith Goontz (i)
- ☐ Lisa Kocher Yoho
- ☐ Billie Zimmerman
Wirt County
Division 1
- ☑ Janey Wigal (i)
- ☐ Reginald Grimmett
- ☐ Craig Mills
Wood County
Division 1
Division 4
- ☑ Joe Kuhl (i)
- ☐ Jeremy Bungard
- ☐ Barry Murphy
Wyoming County
Division 1
- ☑ James Boles (i)
- ☐ Jeff Dunigon
- ☐ Gerald Jackson
Division 3
- ☐ I. Kay Fulford (i)
- ☑ Jeff Barlow
- ☐ Ray Toler
Uncontested seats
Circuit Court
Judicial Circuit 1
Division 1
- ☑ Ronald Wilson (i)
Division 2
- ☑ David Sims (i)
Division 3
Division 4
- ☑ James Mazzone (i)
Judicial Circuit 2
Division 2
- ☑ David Hummel Jr. (i)
Judicial Circuit 3
Division 1
- ☑ Timothy Sweeney (i)
Judicial Circuit 4
Division 1
- ☑ J.D. Beane (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Robert Waters (i)
Judicial Circuit 5
Division 1
Judicial Circuit 6
Division 3
- ☑ Chris Chiles (i)
Division 4
- ☑ Paul Farrell Sr. (i)
Judicial Circuit 7
Division 2
- ☑ Eric O'Briant (i)
Judicial Circuit 8
Division 1
- ☑ Booker Stephens (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Rudolph Murensky II (i)
Judicial Circuit 9
Division 1
- ☑ Derek Swope (i)
Division 2
- ☑ William J. Sadler (i)
Judicial Circuit 10
Division 1
- ☑ John Hutchison (i)
Division 2
- ☑ H. L. Kirkpatrick, III (i)
Judicial Circuit 12
Division 1
- ☑ Paul Blake Jr. (i)
Division 2
- ☑ John Hatcher Jr. (i)
Judicial Circuit 13
Division 1
- ☑ Carrie Webster (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Joanna Tabit (i)
Division 3
- ☑ Tod Kaufman (i)
Division 4
- ☑ James Stucky (i)
Division 5
- ☑ Louis Bloom (i)
Division 6
- ☑ Jennifer Bailey (i)
Division 7
- ☑ Charles King (i)
Judicial Circuit 14
Division 1
- ☑ Richard Facemire (i)
Judicial Circuit 15
Division 2
- ☑ Thomas Bedell (i)
Division 3
- ☑ James Matish (i)
Judicial Circuit 16
Division 1
- ☑ Patrick Wilson (i)
Division 2
- ☑ David Janes (i)
Judicial Circuit 17
Division 2
- ☑ Russell Clawges Jr. (i)
Judicial Circuit 20
- ☑ David Wilmoth (i)
Judicial Circuit 21
Division 1
- ☑ Lynn Nelson (i)
Judicial Circuit 22
Division 1
- ☑ H. Charles Carl III (i)
Judicial Circuit 23
Division 2
- ☑ John Yoder (i)
Division 3
- ☑ Christopher Wilkes (i)
Division 4
- ☑ Gray Silver III (i)
Division 5
- ☑ Michael Douglas Lorensen (i)
Judicial Circuit 24
Division 1
- ☑ Darrell Pratt (i)
Division 2
- ☑ James Young Jr. (i)
Judicial Circuit 25
Division 1
- ☑ William Stewart Thompson (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Jay Hoke (i)
Judicial Circuit 26
Division 1
- ☑ Jacob Reger (i)
Judicial Circuit 27
- ☑ Warren McGraw (i)
Judicial Circuit 29
Division 1
- ☑ Phillip Stowers (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Joseph Reeder (i)
Family Court
Circuit 1
Division 1
- ☑ Joyce Chernenko (i)
Circuit 2
- ☑ Robert Hicks (i)
Circuit 3
Division 2
- ☑ C. Darren Tallman (i)
Circuit 4
Circuit 5
Division 1
- ☑ Connie Thomas (i)
Division 2
Circuit 6
Division 2
- ☑ Patricia Keller (i)
Circuit 7
Circuit 9
Division 1
- ☑ Kelly Codispoti (i)
Circuit 10
Division 2
Circuit 11
Division 2
- ☑ Kenneth Ballard (i)
Division 3
- ☑ R. Joseph Zak (i)
Division 4
Circuit 12
Division 1
- ☑ Anthony Bisaha (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Mary Ellen Griffith (i)
Division 3
- ☑ Lisa Clark (i)
Circuit 13
Division 1
- ☑ H. Suzanne McGraw (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Louise Staton (i)
Circuit 14
- ☑ Matthew Dean England (i)
Circuit 18
Division 2
- ☑ Lori Jackson (i)
Circuit 20
Division 1
- ☑ Randal Minor (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Patricia Hill (i)
Circuit 23
Division 1
- ☑ Glen Stotler (i)
Division 2
Circuit 24
Division 1
- ☑ David Camilletti (i)
Division 3
- ☑ David Greenberg (i)
Circuit 25
- ☑ Amanda See (i)
Circuit 26
- ☑ Richard Witt (i)
Circuit 27
Magistrate Court
Berkeley County
Division 1
- ☑ Charles Cole (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Harry Snow (i)
Division 5
- ☑ Betty Jo Hersh (i)
Braxton County
Division 1
- ☑ Mary Beth Smith (i)
Brooke County
Division 1
- ☑ Robin Snyder (i)
Cabell County
Division 2
- ☑ Michael Woelfel (i)
Division 7
- ☑ Dan Goheen (i)
Calhoun County
Division 1
- ☑ Richard Postalwait (i)
Clay County
Division 1
- ☑ Jeffery Boggs (i)
Division 2
Doddridge County
Division 1
- ☑ Jamie Lou Moran (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Olivia Adams (i)
Fayette County
Division 1
- ☑ Danita Young (i)
Division 4
- ☑ Sharon McGraw (i)
Gilmer County
Division 1
- ☑ Carol Wolfe (i)
Grant County
Division 1
- ☑ Willard Earle II (i)
Greenbrier County
Division 1
- ☑ Charles Beard (i)
Division 3
- ☑ Brenda Smith (i)
Hampshire County
Division 2
- ☑ Ron DiCiolla (i)
Hancock County
Division 1
- ☑ William Scott Hicks (i)
Hardy County
Division 1
- ☑ Craig Hose (i)
Harrison County
Division 1
- ☑ Frank Demarco (i)
Division 3
Jackson County
- ☑ Jackie Casto (i)
- ☑ Tom Reynolds (i)
Kanawha County
Division 1
- ☑ Pete Lopez (i)
Division 4
- ☑ Jack Pauley (i)
Division 6
- ☑ Joe Shelton (i)
Division 10
- ☑ Traci Carper-Strickland (i)
Lewis County
Division 2
- ☑ Michael Gissy (i)
Lincoln County
Division 2
- ☑ Sophia Tully (i)
Logan County
Division 2
- ☑ Dwight Williamson (i)
Division 3
- ☑ Leonard Codispoti (i)
Marion County
Division 1
- ☑ Hank Middlemas (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Melissa Pride-Linger (i)
Division 3
- ☑ Mark Hayes (i)
Marshall County
Division 1
- ☑ Mark Kerwood (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Tom Wood
Division 3
- ☑ David McLaughlin (i)
Mason County
Division 2
- ☑ Gail Roush (i)
McDowell County
Division 1
- ☑ Steve Cox (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Richard VanDyke (i)
Mercer County
Division 1
- ☑ Michael Flanigan (i)
Monongalia County
Division 2
- ☑ Darris John Summers (i)
Monroe County
Division 1
- ☑ Kevin Miller (i)
Morgan County
Division 2
- ☑ Kermit Matthew Ambrose (i)
Nicholas County
Division 1
- ☑ D. Wayne Plummer (i)
Division 2
Ohio County
Division 3
- ☑ Harry Radcliffe (i)
Division 4
- ☑ Joe Roxby (i)
Pendleton County
Division 2
- ☑ Kevin Puffenberger (i)
Pleasants County
Division 1
Division 2
- ☑ Randy Nutter (i)
Pocahontas County
Division 1
- ☑ Cynthia Broce-Kelley (i)
Putnam County
Division 1
- ☑ Linda Hunt (i)
Division 2 (Unexpired term)
Division 3
- ☑ Kylene Brown (i)
Raleigh County
Division 1
- ☑ Charles Humphrey (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Steve Massie (i)
Division 3
- ☑ Richard Jones (i)
Division 4
- ☑ Greg Tanner (i)
Randolph County
Division 2
- ☑ Mike Riggleman (i)
Division 3
- ☑ Benjamin Shepler (i)
Ritchie County
Division 1
- ☑ David Haugh (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Teresa Harper (i)
Roane County
Division 2
- ☑ Ronald White (i)
Summers County
Division 1
- ☑ J.W. Jeffries Jr. (i)
Division 2
- ☑ Jack Hellems (i)
Taylor County
Division 2
- ☑ Ricky Reese (i)
Tucker County
Division 1
- ☑ Riley Barb (i)
Division 2
Tyler County
Division 2
- ☑ Michael Griffin (i)
Upshur County
Division 1
- ☑ Mike Coffman (i)
Wetzel County
Division 1
- ☑ Thomas Shepherd (i)
Wirt County
Division 2
- ☑ David Roberts (i)
Wood County
Division 2
- ☑ Brenda Marshall (i)
Division 3
- ☑ Robin Waters (i)
Wyoming County
Division 2
- ☑ Craig Cook (i)
Election rules
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
Circuit Courts
The judges of the West Virginia Circuit Court are chosen by the people in nonpartisan elections and must run for re-election when their terms expire. Each judge is elected to an eight-year term.[2]
Selection of the chief judge
The chief judge of each circuit court is also selected by peer vote, but term lengths vary by circuit.[2]
Qualifications
To serve on a West Virginia Circuit Court, a judge must be:
- 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.[2]
Family Courts
Judges of the West Virginia Family Courts are each elected to six-year and eight-year terms. Their initial term is six years and every subsequent term is eight years.[3] The elections for this court are nonpartisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a state citizen, a circuit resident, a minimum of 30 years of age and have five years of law practice in the state.[4]
Magistrate Courts
Judges of the West Virginia Magistrate Courts are each elected to four-year terms.[5] The elections for this court are nonpartisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a county resident, a minimum of 21 years of age and have a high school diploma or equivalent. Judges of these courts do not need to be lawyers, but they must complete a course in rudimentary principles of law and procedure.[4]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms West Virginia judicial election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Search," accessed January 31, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: West Virginia," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Judiciary, "Family Courts," accessed September 25, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: West Virginia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Judiciary, "Magistrate Courts," accessed September 25, 2014
West Virginia courts
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
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