West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Beth Walker to retire in June

West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Beth Walker will retire June 27 after more than eight years on the bench. Walker wrote of her retirement in a letter to Chief Justice William Wooten on Monday. 

“While serving the people of West Virginia has been the greatest honor 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 wrote. 

Walker was elected to the high court May 10, 2016, the first in a nonpartisan race, and took office Jan. 1, 2017. 

Walker is currently the longest-serving justice on the court. She’s the last remaining justice who was part of the court in 2018, when all four sitting justices faced impeachment charges relating to the misuse of public funds. Walker was charged with maladministration. The state Senate censured Walker at the time but voted not to remove her from office. Former Justice Allen Loughry was ultimately sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading to 10 federal charges, including wire and mail fraud. 

Walker served as chief justice in 2019 and 2023.

In her letter Monday, Walker wrote that during her tenure, the Supreme Court restored public trust in the judicial branch by “increasing transparency, accountability and impartiality while returning the focus of the judiciary 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 said.

Walker was raised in Huron, Ohio, and graduated from Hillsdale College and the Ohio State University, where she earned her law degree. Prior to becoming a judge, she worked for the Bowles Rice law firm, practicing in labor and employment law and mediation. 

In a news release Monday, Wooten called Walker an “outstanding member” and a leader of the Supreme Court. 

“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 said.

“In some appellate courts in other jurisdictions — and in this court at different times — the internal deliberations have been caustic and acrimonious.That has never happened in our court because Justice Walker has been a force insisting on collegiality and civility among our members. 

“Her leadership in this area has been a real strength of our court,” he said. “While I would like to persuade Beth to remain on the court, I will respect her judgment. Nonetheless, I sincerely regret that Justice Elizabeth Walker will very shortly cease to be a member of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.”

Walker’s term was set to expire Dec. 31, 2028. Gov. Patrick Morrisey is expected to appoint someone to fill Walker’s seat until her replacement can be elected during the next judicial election in 2026. 

Prior to the appointment, the state’s Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission will collect applications, conduct interviews and make recommendations to the governor, a spokesman for the Supreme Court said.