Wooton to join West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals

Armstead, Hutchison win re-election bids

CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals will have a new justice, while Chief Justice Tim Armstead wins a full term and Justice John Hutchison will keep his appointed seat until 2024.

According to unofficial results sent by county clerks to the West Virginia Secretary of State's office, Armstead was in the lead in the 1st Division race for Supreme Court with 41 percent of the vote as of Tuesday evening with 74,626 votes. He was followed by former justice Richard Neely with 39 percent, 69,997, and 2nd Judicial Circuit Judge David Hummel Jr. with 20 percent, 35,683.

Armstead, a former attorney and lawmaker, was appointed to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of former Justice Menis Ketchum in August 2018.

He then won the special election for the seat later that same year. Armstead was a 20-year member of the House of Delegates representing Kanawha County and later House Speaker. This will be Armstead's first 12-year term on the court.

In Division 2, former Raleigh County state senator William "Bill" Wooten -- a previous candidate for state Supreme Court -- was in the lead with 35 percent, 64,970, followed closely by 13th Judicial Circuit Judge Joanna Tabit with 27 percent of the vote, 48,900. She was followed by Putnam County Assistant Prosecutor Kristina "Kris" Raynes with 20 percent, 37,593, and 11th Circuit Family Court Judge Jim Douglas with 18 percent, 32,553.

The winner of Division 2 will serve a full 12-year term and succeed Justice Margaret Workman, the first woman elected to the state Supreme Court in 1988, who declined to seek a third term.

In Division 3, Justice John Hutchison was in the lead for the special election to fill the remaining four years left on the term of former disgraced justice Allen Loughry. Hutchison received 44 percent of the vote, 77,910, followed by 5th Judicial Circuit Judge Lora Dyer with 34 percent, 59,973, and Charleston attorney William Schwartz with 21 percent, 37,387.

Hutchison, previously a circuit court judge from Raleigh County, was appointed in 2018 to fill the seat vacated by Loughry, who was convicted in federal court on 11 federal charges, including mail fraud, wire fraud, witness tampering, and making false statements to investigators. Hutchison was first appointed to the circuit court bench in 1995 by former governor Gaston Caperton, winning election in 1996. Hutchison will be up for a full 12-year term in 2024.

The winners of Tuesday's Supreme Court elections will not have to worry about the Nov. 3 general election, as the primary election serves as the one and only election for judicial candidates. All but Hutchison -- who is already on the bench -- will take office next January.

(Adams can be contacted at sadams@newsandsentinel.com)