John Copenhaver, a legend on the federal bench in West Virginia, has died.
Copenhaver was 100 but had remained active as a senior United States district judge. At the time of his death, Copenhaver was the last actively serving district judge appointed by President Gerald Ford.
Chief U.S. District Judge Frank W. Volk announced his death today.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that our dear friend and colleague, the Honorable John T. Copenhaver, Jr., has passed away following an unparalleled life focused for seven decades on public service,” Volk said in a publicly distributed statement.
“Judge Copenhaver has been a cornerstone of the federal judiciary in West Virginia for over six decades.”
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito was among those who expressed appreciation for Copenhaver’s long career.
“West Virginia lost a remarkable public servant and legal mind with the passing of Judge John Copenhaver. Judge Copenhaver was not only deeply respected for his distinguished legal career and commitment to justice, but he was also a longtime friend of my family dating back to his college days with my parents,” said Capito, R-W.Va.
“I will always cherish our conversations and his thoughtful perspective and kindness.”
Copenhaver was born in Charleston in 1925. His father, John T. Copenhaver, Sr. was mayor of Charleston and twice a Republican candidate for governor of the state.
In contrast to his father, who was called “Jumping John,” Judge Copenhaver was known for his quiet, thoughtful demeanor.
“I never saw another Judge command a courtroom more completely — yet he never had to raise his voice,” Judge Joseph Goodwin reflected in the statement released by the federal court today.
Copenhaver graduated from the Kentucky Military Institute at just 16 years old and shortly after joined the United States Army during World War II, serving as a medic in the Philippines and Japan. He rose to the rank of sergeant and was honorably discharged in 1946.
His family and colleagues noted that his early experiences with the suffering and endurance of soldiers shaped his disciplined and balanced temperament for the rest of his life
After returning from the war, he attended West Virginia University, earning his undergraduate degree in 1947 and his law degree in 1950. He was active in campus life, joining the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and the prestigious Mountain senior honorary.
After law school, he served as a law clerk for Judge Benjamin Franklin Moore before briefly entering private practice in Charleston.
In 1958, at age 33, Copenhaver was appointed as a referee in bankruptcy. Over the next two decades, he became a national leader in modernizing bankruptcy law.
He was a key figure in drafting the Bankruptcy Rules of 1973 and played a major role in creating the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, which was the most significant overhaul of insolvency law in decades. During this time, he also served as the President of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford appointed 50-year-old Copenhaver to the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.
He was known for his “judge’s judge” reputation—meaning he was fair, courteous and precise. His legal work was so thorough that his decisions were rarely overturned: His reversal rate stayed around two percent over thirty years.
Even after taking the semi-retirement senior status in 2018, he continued to manage a full caseload, including writing a record-setting 416-page legal opinion in 2023.
“Judge Copenhaver’s positive impact on generations of lawyers, litigants, and fellow judges cannot be overstated,” said Haley Bunn, chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court. “His lifetime of service to the public and unprecedented work ethic will continue to inspire us for decades to come.”
Bunn, who was an an assistant United States attorney earlier in her career, recalled experiencing “some of my most significant professional moments inside his courtroom while he presided with discipline, precision, and a resolute commitment to the Rule of Law. His legal acumen was unmatched and did not diminish with age.
“While he always presided with grace and never spoke an unkind word to any practitioner or party, an appearance in Judge Copenhaver’s courtroom required an extra measure of preparation because any tiny discrepancy in the record or a case citation would surely be met with his patient but firm correction.”