CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia will have four new circuit judgeships come Jan. 1 bringing the total number of circuit judges in the Mountain State to 74.
The judgeships were added in circuits covering Raleigh County, Berkeley-Jefferson-Morgan, Lewis-Upshur and Mason-Jackson-Roane-Calhoun by the legislature in votes that took place in 2014 and 2015.
The additions were based on a caseload study by the National Center for State Courts, according to West Virginia State Court Administrator Steve Canterbury.
“The caseloads for those individual judges were double and triple of what they were for the average judge in West Virginia,” Canterbury said.
The Raleigh County circuit goes from three to four judges, the eastern panhandle circuit from five to six, Lewis-Upshur from one judge to two judges and the circuit covering Jackson, Roane, Mason and Calhoun counties from two to three.
Relieving the caseloads in those counties will help on a couple of fronts, according to Canterbury.
“This will help the public in that their cases will be resolved more quickly. It will help the counties because they will be out of jail more quickly,” Canterbury said.
All 74 circuit judgeships were filled in last May’s election. The positions won’t come up for vote again until 2024. Canterbury predicts, because of the state’s population decline and population shift, there may be several tough decisions for lawmakers to make before the 2024 election.
“If the trends continue it seems that you’ll see fewer judges in the southern part of the state,” Canterbury said. “Population has been pretty stable in the central part of the state and of course it’s growing in the Morgantown area and the eastern panhandle.”
State law prohibits lawmakers from reducing judgeships during a term. So the number won’t drop below 74 for at least the next eight years.
The counties where the judges are being added have had to make new office arrangements. Most of the work has been completed in various courthouses and housing the new judge and staff shouldn’t be that big of an issue, according to Canterbury.