Justice Beth Walker’s portrait will be displayed in the Supreme Court of Appeals Courtroom on March 11, 2024. (J. Alex Wilson, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia)
Justice Beth Walker of the West Virginia Supreme Court will retire on June 27 after serving for more than eight years. Walker announced her retirement in a letter to Chief Justice William Wooten on Monday.
“While serving the people of West Virginia has been the greatest honour of my life, I now do my part to usher in a new generation of leadership while spending more time with my family, friends, and pursuing other interests,” Walker said in an email.
Walker was elected to the Supreme Court on May 10, 2016, as the first nonpartisan candidate, and he took office on January 1, 2017.
Walker is currently the longest-serving justice on the bench. She is the last remaining justice who served on the court in 2018, when all four sitting justices were impeached on charges of misusing public funds. Walker was charged with maladministration.
The state Senate censured Walker at the time, but did not vote to remove her from office. Former Justice Allen Loughry was sentenced to two years in federal prison after admitting to ten federal charges, including wire and mail fraud.
Walker was chief justice in 2019 and 2023.
Walker wrote in her letter on Monday that during her tenure, the Supreme Court restored public trust in the judiciary by “increasing transparency, accountability, and impartiality while returning the judiciary’s focus to the rule of law.”
“We have established a cooperative and functioning relationship with both the legislative and executive branches, which I hope endures for years to come,” she told the crowd.
Walker was raised in Huron, Ohio, and attended Hillsdale College and Ohio State University, where she earned a law degree. Before becoming a judge, she worked for the Bowles Rice law firm, specialising in labour and employment law and mediation.
In a news release issued Monday, Wooten described Walker as a “outstanding member” and Supreme Court leader.
“This is in part due to her institutional knowledge, being our longest-serving justice, but the real foundation of her leadership is her judicial temperament and intellect,” Wooten told the court.
“Internal deliberations in some appellate courts in other jurisdictions, as well as in this court at times, have been caustic and acrimonious.That has never happened in our court because Justice Walker has been a strong advocate for collegiality and civility among our members.
“Her leadership in this area has been a real strength of our court,” according to him. “I would like to persuade Beth to stay on the court, but I will respect her decision. Nonetheless, I deeply regret that Justice Elizabeth Walker will soon leave the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.”
Walker’s term was set to expire on December 31, 2028. Gov. Patrick Morrisey is expected to appoint someone to fill Walker’s seat until her successor is elected in the next judicial election in 2026.
Prior to the appointment, the state’s Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission will collect applications, interview candidates, and make recommendations to the governor, according to a Supreme Court spokesman.
