Booker Stephens
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Booker Stephens was a circuit court judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit in West Virginia.[1] He was elected to the court in November 1984 and assumed office on January 1, 1985.[2] Stephens retired on May 31, 2019.[3]
Biography
Stephens received his undergraduate degree in political science and Spanish from West Virginia State College in 1966 and his J.D. from Howard University in 1972.[2][4]
Before he became a judge, Stephens served two terms as an elected official in the West Virginia House of Delegates.[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 Booker Stephens ran unopposed in the general election for the West Virginia Judicial Circuit 8, Division 1 seat.[5]
| West Virginia Judicial Circuit 8, Division 1 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 Booker Stephens Incumbent | ||
| 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.[6]
The chief judge of each circuit court is selected by peer vote. Term lengths vary by circuit.[6]
Qualifications
To serve on a West Virginia Circuit Court, a judge must be:[6]
- 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.
Awards and associations
- Member, West Virginia Judicial Association
- Member, West Virginia State Bar Association
- Member, American Bar Association
- Life Member, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
See also
External links
- West Virginia Judiciary: Eighth Judicial Circuit Judges and Court Information
- West Virginia Judiciary, "Circuit Courts Overview"
- West Virginia Judiciary, "Court Information by County"
Footnotes
- ↑ West Virginia Judiciary: Eighth Judicial Circuit Judges and Court Information
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 State of West Virginia: West Virginia Civil Rights Day, 2004 Honorees, accessed November 23, 2013
- ↑ Bluefield Daily Telegraph, "34 years of service: Retiring Judge Booker Stephens fondly remembers time serving McDowell," March 17, 2019
- ↑ Martindale.com, "Judge Profile: Booker T. Stephens," accessed December 26, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwv - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: West Virginia," archived October 3, 2014
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
