CHARLESTON, W.Va. — First Judicial Circuit Judge Martin Gaughan will retire effective June 30.
Gaughan sent his letter of resignation to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Chief Justice Margaret L. Workman on Monday. He is considered one of the founders of community corrections in West Virginia.
He is one of only five judges nationally to earn the Distinguished Service award from the CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, which he won in 2010. He also received the 2010 award from the National Criminal Justice Association for the Best Criminal Justice System in the Southern Region.
He is a member of the West Virginia Judicial Association and has served on its Legislative Committee and Judicial Redistricting Committee. He also serves on the Supreme Court’s Committee on Overcrowded Prisons and Jails.
Gaughan is the third judge to announce his retirement in the state in the last two days.