WV Supreme Court cancels oral arguments after ‘medical incident’ from bench

West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Bill Wooten had a “medical incident” on the bench while the court was in session Wednesday, leading the court to cancel oral arguments for the day, a spokesman for the court said in a statement. 

The court stopped arguments and alerted emergency services, said Jared Hunt, the court’s communications director. 

“Justice Wooton was conscious, alert and conversing with first responders as they treated him,” Hunt said in the statement. “He was then taken to a local hospital for evaluation.”

Wooten will turn 82 later this month, Hunt said. He was elected in 2020 to a 12-year Supreme Court term that started in 2021, according to his Supreme Court biography. He previously served a total of 26 years in the West Virginia Legislature, as a member of both the House of Delegates and Senate. 

Hearings planned for Wednesday will be rescheduled, Hunt said.