West Virginia judicial elections
Judges in West Virginia compete in nonpartisan elections in even-numbered years. They run in a general election in that takes place on the same day as West Virginia's primary for partisan offices. Judges must run for re-election in nonpartisan elections for subsequent terms.
West Virginia is one of 11 states that uses partisan elections to select judges and does not use retention elections for subsequent terms. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
| Supreme Court of Appeals | Intermediate Court of Appeals | Circuit Court | Family Courts | Magistrate Courts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan elections for 12-year terms | Nonpartisan elections for 10-year terms | Nonpartisan elections for 8-year terms | Nonpartisan elections for 8-year terms | Nonpartisan elections for 4-year terms |
Elections
- West Virginia Supreme Court elections, 2024
- West Virginia intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
- West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals elections, 2020
- West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals special elections, 2018
- West Virginia local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- West Virginia judicial elections, 2016
- West Virginia judicial elections, 2014
- West Virginia judicial elections, 2012
- West Virginia judicial elections, 2010
- West Virginia Supreme Court elections, 2008-2010
Judicial elections made nonpartisan (April 2015)
Since West Virginia became a state in 1863, its judges were chosen by the people in partisan elections. But a bill signed into law by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D) changed that, calling instead for nonpartisan elections across all courts beginning in 2016.[1][2][3]
Supporters of the bill argued that partisan elections left the judiciary vulnerable to the influence of politics and money, while opponents claimed that the heart of the problem—excessive campaign donations from lobbyists and interest groups—was not adequately addressed by the proposal.[2][3]
| “ | Candidate spending in judicial elections both at the Supreme Court and intermediate appellate levels has skyrocketed. Interest groups and political parties, recognizing the extreme importance of electing judges who support their views, are becoming more active.[4] | ” |
| —Matthew Streb, Chair of the Northern Illinois Department of Political Science[3] | ||
House Bill 2010 was amended by the Senate to correct and clarify some of the language. It was sent back to the House and approved 89-7 in February. Governor Tomblin signed the legislation in April.[1][2]
At the time of HB 2010's passage, West Virginia joined 18 other states that used nonpartisan judicial elections at all levels.[1][3]
See also
External links
- West Virginia Secretary of State, "Elections Division," accessed May 13, 2014
- West Virginia Secretary of State, "Running for Office in 2014," November 2013
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namednonpartlaw - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 West Virginia Press, "Non-partisan judicial elections on governor’s desk," February 24, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Metro News, "West Virginia moving toward nonpartisan judicial elections," February 19, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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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