CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Chief Justice Haley Bunn swore in new Justice Gerald M. Titus III in front of a full courtroom Wednesday.
Titus was appointed by Governor Patrick Morrisey in November to fill the seat left vacant weeks before when beloved Justice Tim Armstead died.
Titus says he won’t try to replace everything that Armstead brought to the bench.
“As honored as I am to have this opportunity, I really, truly wish this vacancy didn’t exist. Our presence here is occasioned by the tragic loss of our Justice Tim Armstead,” Titus said. “His presence cannot be replaced. I would never even presume to try. I’m overwhelmed by the comments of my colleagues that indicate that they see me fulfilling some part of the role that he played.”
“I’ll do my best to serve with the same integrity, dedication and humility with which he served. I think about that every day when I walk into the building,” he continued.
Titus has been serving in the new role for several weeks now, but Wednesday’s ceremony was a chance for the Spencer native to thank everyone who got him to where he is.
Titus says his mother has always encouraged him in his faith and told him to keep his eyes open for opportunities to see and hear from God in everyday life.
“When I was pursuing this appointment, I opened a hymnal and there was a bookmark with Micah 6:8, which states in part: And what does the Lord require of you? To ask justly and to love with mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
“That’s the perfect directive for a judge. To exhibit justice, love, mercy and humility, and it just came along at perfect timing for me. It helped me frame why I wanted to do this and what type of judge I wanted to be,” Titus said.
Titus says growing up in Roane County was a blessing.
“One of my luckiest breaks in life was growing in a West Virginia small town,” he said. “I’m a product of our small-town culture. I firmly believe that West Virginia small towns produce leaders.”
Justice Thomas Ewing was one of the justices that spoke at the investiture ceremony before Titus was sworn in. He says the responsibility he’ll have while wearing the robe can’t be overstated.
“As a new judge, it takes some time to adjust to simply putting on the robe, getting comfortable with that, and getting comfortable bearing the weight that comes with it,” Ewing told Titus.
“The weight of this robe is way more than a few pounds of polyester or wool or cotton, it’s the consequences of the decisions that we have to make while we’re wearing the robe. You never really know how much it weighs until you put it on,” he said.