West Virginia Circuit Courts
The West Virginia Circuit Courts are the West Virginia state trial courts of general jurisdiction. They are the only state trial courts in West Virginia that are courts of record. West Virginia's 55 counties are divided into 31 circuits, each comprising anywhere from one to four counties. Different circuits have different numbers of judges; 11 circuits have only a single judge.
Circuit judges are elected in partisan elections to serve eight-year terms. Judges must have engaged in the practice of law for at least five years. When a vacancy occurs, the governor of West Virginia appoints a judge, who must run in the next election to retain his or her seat.
The circuit courts have original jurisdiction over:
The circuit courts have original appellate jurisdiction involving:
Appeals from the decisions of circuit courts go the state supreme court, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
List of judicial circuits
- First - Hancock, Brooke and Ohio counties (four judges)
- Second - Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler counties (two judges)
- Third - Ritchie, Doddridge, and Pleasants counties (one judge)
- Four - Wood and Wirt counties (three judges)
- Fifth - Calhoun, Jackson, Mason and Roane counties (two judges)
- Sixth - Cabell County (four judges)
- Seventh - Logan County (two judges)
- Eighth - McDowell County (two judges)
- Ninth - Mercer County (three judges)
- Tenth - Raleigh County (three judges)
- Eleventh - Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties (two judges)
- Twelfth - Fayette County (two judges)
- Thirteenth - Kanawha County (seven judges)
- Fourteenth - Braxton, Clay, Gilmer, and Webster counties (two judges)
- Fifteenth - Harrison County (three judges)
- Sixteenth - Marion County (two judges)
- Seventeenth - Monongalia County (three judges)
- Eighteenth - Preston County (one judge)
- Nineteenth - Barbour and Taylor counties (one judge)
- Twentieth - Randolph County (one judges)
- Twenty-First - Grant, Mineral and Tucker counties (two judges)
- Twenty-Second - Hampshire, Hardy and Pendleton counties (two judges)
- Twenty-Third - Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties (five judges)
- Twenty-Fourth - Wayne County (two judges)
- Twenty-Fifth - Boone and Lincoln counties (two judges)
- Twenty-Sixth - Lewis and Upshur counties (one judge)
- Twenty-Seventh - Wyoming County (one judge)
- Twenty-Eighth - Nicholas County (one judge)
- Twenty-Ninth - Putnam County (two judges)
- Thirtieth - Mingo County (one judge)
- Thirty-First - Monroe and Summers counties (one judge)