MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice has appointed current Monongalia County Prosecutor Perri Jo DeChristopher as a judge in Monongalia County.
DeChristopher will replace Judge Phillip D. Gaujot has announced his retirement and will step down officially at the end of the week.
A West Virginia University College of Law graduate, DeChristopher has 28 years of prosecuting attorney experience in Monongalia and Harrison counties. She has been elected as the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney on two occasions.
“It’s bittersweet to leave this prosecutor’s office behind; it’s very bittersweet,” DeChristopher said. “It’s people that I love and care about in a world I’ve been in for a long time.”
DeChrisdtopher said her nearly two decades of working with former Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney Marcia Ashdown aided her development as a lawyer, trial lawyer, and eventually prosecuting attorney.
“She taught me things that are important and things that are not important. She taught me how to be tough when you need to be and compassionate or reasonable when the situation presents itself,” DeChristopher said. “She was the smartest person I think I’ve ever worked with.”
DeChristopher said she’s looking forward to the new challenge.
“I will be a hardworking judge, a judge that’s prepared when I walk into the courtroom,” DeChristopher said. “A judge who wants to hear every side and every point of view in the courtroom before making a decision.”
DeChristopher added that hard work and preparation are vital to success in the courtroom and justice for the citizens of the county. But she emphasized the importance of listening carefully and critically processing that information.
“It takes a lot of practice, and you have to be a really good listener, I think, to be good in a trial,” DeChristopher said. “Sometimes people think it’s more about what you say but it’s more about what you hear and how you use what people say.”
DeChristopher said this seems like the natural next step.
“I think I’ve gone in my legal career where I’ve been led, and really, I’m blessed that every one of those choices has worked out well for me,” DeChristopher said.
The Monongalia County Commission will have 30 days from the effective date to appoint her successor.