Christopher Wilkes

Last updated
Christopher Wilkes
Chris Wilkes Portrait.jpg
Chief Judge, 23rd Judicial Circuit of West Virginia
Assumed office
January 1, 1993
Personal details
SpousePat Wilkes
Alma mater West Virginia University
Ohio Northern University College of Law

Christopher C. Wilkes was chief judge for West Virginia's largest judicial circuit, the 23rd Judicial Circuit, encompassing Morgan, Jefferson, and Berkeley counties. Wilkes was first elected to the court in 1992 and has served on the bench since 1993. He has been reelected four times since, most recently in 2016. [1] On August 17, 2018, he announced his candidacy for the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Division 1. [2] He was not elected, placing third among ten candidates.

Contents

Education

Wilkes received his undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and his J.D. from the Ohio Northern University College of Law. [3]

Career

Wilkes has served as president of the West Virginia Judicial Association, co-chairman of the Youth Services Committee of the Court Improvement Board, and a member of the Judges Initiative Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association.

Before he was elected to the bench, Wilkes served as a judge for the cities of Martinsburg and Ranson in West Virginia from 1985 to 1993. He previously worked as an attorney in private practice in Martinsburg. [4]

Related Research Articles

The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the state supreme court of the state of West Virginia, the highest of West Virginia's state courts. The court sits primarily at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, although from 1873 to 1915, it was also required by state law to hold sessions in Charles Town in the state's Eastern Panhandle. The court also holds special sittings at various locations across the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Willett</span> American judge (born 1966)

Donny Ray Willett is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He was previously appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry to serve as a justice of the Supreme Court of Texas on August 24, 2005, when former Justice Priscilla Owen created a vacancy on that court by joining the Fifth Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Gregory</span> American judge (born 1953)

Roger Lee Gregory is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Milano Keenan</span> Austrian-American judge (born 1950)

Barbara Louise Milano Keenan is a senior United States circuit judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and a former justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Elliott E. "Spike" Maynard was an American lawyer and former judge from West Virginia. In 1996 he was elected as a Democrat to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. A judge of West Virginia's 30th Judicial Circuit for over 16 years, he was elected as a Democrat to a 12-year term on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia in 1996.

Margaret Lee Workman is an American lawyer and a former justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. Her 1988 election to the Supreme Court made her the first woman elected to statewide office in West Virginia and first female Justice on the Court.

Robin Jean Davis is an American jurist who served on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. First elected to fill an unexpired term in 1996, Davis later won full twelve-year terms in 2000 and 2012. However, Davis retired before the end of her second full term in August 2018 after the West Virginia House Judiciary Committee named Davis in articles of impeachment during the Impeachment of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

Oliver E. Diaz Jr. is a former Presiding Justice on the Supreme Court of Mississippi representing District 2 Place 2. In 2008, he was defeated by Randy "Bubba" Pierce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan P. Graber</span> American attorney and jurist (born 1949)

Susan Pia Graber is an American attorney and jurist. She is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A native of Oklahoma, she was the 90th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from 1990 to 1998. She served on the Oregon Court of Appeals from 1988 to 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmie V. Reyna</span> American judge (born 1952)

Jimmie V. Reyna is an American lawyer, former president of the Hispanic National Bar Association, and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gina M. Groh</span> American judge (born 1964)

Gina Marie Groh is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelmina Wright</span> American judge (born 1964)

Wilhelmina Marie Wright is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. She is the only jurist in Minnesota's history to be state district court judge, appellate court judge and state supreme court justice. She was formerly an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, a judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and a judge of the Minnesota District Court, Second Judicial District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thayer Melvin</span> American lawyer, politician, and judge

Thayer Melvin was an American lawyer, politician, and judge in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Melvin served as the fourth Attorney General of West Virginia from January 1, 1867, until July 1, 1869, and twice served as the presiding circuit judge of West Virginia's First Judicial District in the state's Northern Panhandle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rossie D. Alston Jr.</span> American judge (born 1957)

Rossie David Alston Jr. is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was formerly a Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia after having previously been a judge in the Prince William County Circuit Court and the Prince William County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

Michael Joshua Lindner is a judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit General District Court of Virginia (Fairfax), in the United States, elected February 25, 2015 by the Virginia Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates, for a 6-year term commencing July 1, 2015. His election was preceded by a selection process wherein candidates were evaluated by the Fairfax Bar Judicial Selection Committee which issued an Executive Summary on his candidacy.

Donald Trump, President of the United States from 2017 to 2021, entered office with a significant number of judicial vacancies, including a Supreme Court vacancy due to the death of Antonin Scalia in February 2016. During the first eight months of his presidency, he nominated approximately 50 judges, a significantly higher number than any other recent president had made by that point in his presidency. By June 24, 2020, 200 of his Article III nominees had been confirmed by the United States Senate. According to multiple media outlets, Trump significantly impacted the composition of the Supreme Court and lower courts during his tenure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby J. Heytens</span> American judge (born 1975)

Toby Jay Heytens is an American attorney and law professor who is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He served as the solicitor general of Virginia from 2018 to 2021.

John A. Hutchison is an American lawyer serving as a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. He joined the court in 2018 and served as chief justice in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shalina D. Kumar</span> American judge (born 1971)

Shalina Deborah Kumar is an American attorney from Michigan who is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

References

  1. Young, Jennifer (15 Dec 2016). "23rd circuit court judges, clerks sworn in". The Journal. Retrieved 10 Aug 2018.
  2. "Judge Christopher Wilkes announces his candidacy for WV State Supreme Court". WRNR. 17 Aug 2018. Retrieved 17 Aug 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "Judge Profile: Christopher C. Wilkes". Martindale.com. 10 Aug 2018. Retrieved 10 Aug 2018.
  4. Young, Jennifer (29 Nov 2016). "Wilkes named president of Judicial Association". The Journal. Retrieved 10 Aug 2018.