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.
The Liberty University School of Law is the law school of Liberty University,a private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg,Virginia. The school offers the J.D.,L.L.M.,and J.M. degrees.
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.
Timothy Paul Armstead is an American politician who has served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia since 2018. In 2024,he began his second term as the chief justice. He formerly represented 40th District in the West Virginia House of Delegates. In 2015,Armstead became the first Republican Speaker of the House of Delegates in 84 years,serving in the position until 2018. Armstead is originally from Clendenin,West Virginia.
Thomas Todd was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1807 to 1826. Raised in the Colony of Virginia,he studied law and later participated in the founding of Kentucky,where he served as a clerk,judge,and justice. He was married twice and had a total of eight children. Todd joined the U.S. Supreme Court in 1807 and his handful of legal opinions there mostly concerned land claims. He was labeled the most insignificant U.S. Supreme Court justice by Frank H. Easterbrook in The Most Insignificant Justice:Further Evidence,50 U. Chi. L. Rev. 481 (1983).
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of West Virginia face legal challenges not faced by non-LGBT persons. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1976,and same-sex marriage has been recognized since October 2014. West Virginia statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity;however,the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBT people is illegal.
Carte Patrick Goodwin is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia in 2010. A member of the Democratic Party,he was appointed by Governor Joe Manchin on July 16,2010 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Robert Byrd. He chose not to seek election to finish the unexpired term of Robert Byrd. Goodwin left office on November 15,2010 when Joe Manchin was sworn in after being elected to the Senate.
Elizabeth D. "Beth" Walker is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals since 2017. She was elected in the Court's first non-partisan election on May 10,2016. She began a 12-year term on January 1,2017. Walker is the 77th justice to serve on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. She was an unsuccessful candidate for the same office in 2008. She has served as chief justice in 2019 and 2023.
Andrew McCoy "Mac" Warner is an American attorney,veteran,and the current West Virginia secretary of state. He announced his candidacy for Governor of West Virginia in 2024 on January 10,2023.
Arch Alfred Moore Capito is an American attorney and politician who served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2016 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party,he was a candidate for governor of West Virginia in the state's 2024 gubernatorial election but was defeated by Patrick Morrisey. He resigned from the West Virginia House in December 2023 to focus on his campaign.
The impeachment of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia occurred on August 13,2018,when the West Virginia House of Delegates voted to impeach all five justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia for charges relating to corruption,overspending,and lack of oversight. Despite being threatened in other states at other times,this is the only time in United States history that the entire bench of the highest court of a state has been impeached.
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.
William R. Wooton is an American attorney and politician who has served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia since January 1,2021.
William Stewart Thompson is the United States attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia since 2021. From 2007 to 2021,he served as a judge on the 25th Judicial Circuit of West Virginia.
The Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the intermediate appellate court in West Virginia,created pursuant to the West Virginia Appellate Reorganization Act of 2021.
The 2024 West Virginia House of Delegates elections will be held on November 5,2024,alongside elections to the presidency,governorship,U.S. Senate,U.S. House of Representatives,and other offices. Primary elections were held on May 14,2024.
Darl W. Poling is a judge of the 10th Circuit Court of West Virginia. Poling was appointed by Governor Jim Justice in 2019 to serve as a circuit judge on the Tenth Judicial District in Raleigh County following the appointment of Judge John A. Hutchison to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Robert A. Burnside,Jr. is a senior judge of the 10th Circuit Court of West Virginia,and has served on the bench since 1988.Burnside was elected to the seat in 1988 to fill an unexpired term. Burnside was born in Kincaid,West Virginia in Fayette County. He has a degree from Concord University,which he earned in 1970,and a Juris Doctor degree from West Virginia University College of Law,which he earned in 1977.
Daniel W. Greear is an American lawyer and politician. He served in the West Virginia House of Delegates,representing Kanawha County from 1995 to 1996. Since 2021 he has acted as a judge at the Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
