The chambers of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
CHARLESTON – The state Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission has submitted four names to fill a vacant state Supreme Court seat to Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s office.
The four recommendations are Eric B. Hudnall, R. Steven Redding, Robert E. Ryan and Gerald M. Titus III.
Hudnall is a staff attorney for the state Supreme Court. Redding is a circuit court judge from the Eastern Panhandle. Ryan is the Hardy County prosecuting attorney and a former circuit court judge. Titus is an attorney for Spilman Thomas Battle in its Charleston office.
The JVAC interviewed a dozen applicants October 20 in Charleston. The other eight, in alphabetical order, were Laura Faircloth, David Gilbert, Daniel Greear, E. Ryan Kennedy, Brenden Long, Elgine McArdle, Martin Sheehan and Zachary Viglianco.
Those on the list submitted their names to the state Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission to fill the seat left open by the August death of Justice Tim Armstead. The filing deadline was October 6. Morrisey’s office provided the list of names to The West Virginia Record.
With the short list provided by the JVAC, Morrisey can appoint someone from the list or select someone else.
A quick look at the other applicants:
Faircloth is a circuit judge from the Eastern Panhandle.
Gilbert is an attorney with the state Attorney General’s office and former clerk for Armstead.
Greear is a judge on the state Intermediate Court of Appeals, a former circuit court judge and former chief counsel for the House of Delegates.
Kennedy is the state Secretary of Veteran’s Assistance and a former mayor of Clarksburg.
Long is an attorney from Putnam County. He previously sought a vacant Supreme Court seat in 2018.
McArdle is a Wheeling attorney and former chairwoman for the state Republican Party. She previously ran for the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
Sheehan is a Wheeling attorney who applied for a vacancy on the Supreme Court in 2018 and later ran for the seat.
Viglianco is the principal deputy solicitor general for the Nebraska AG’s office. He sought a seat on the West Virginia Supreme Court earlier this year when Justice Beth Walker retired. “Legally speaking, I would say I am ‘domiciled’ in West Virginia,” Viglianco told The West Virginia Record then.
When a judicial position becomes vacant, the JVAC is tasked with interviewing applicants. It then submits a short list of two to five recommendations to the governor’s office. The governor has 30 days after receiving the short list from the JVAC to appoint someone from the list or select someone else who meets the qualifications for the job.
The appointee will serve until the next general election and can run to fill the rest of the unexpired term. Armstead’s term was scheduled to conclude at the end of 2032.
To be a West Virginia Supreme Court Justice, a person must be a state citizen for at least five years, be at least 30 years old and have practiced law in the state for at least 10 years.
