CHARLESTON, W.Va. — New state Supreme Court Justice H.L. “Kirk” Kirkpatrick was officially welcomed onto the High Court Monday morning.
Kirkpatrick, who secured the seat on the bench in May, took part in an investiture ceremony at the Supreme Court Chamber inside the State Capitol Complex with a packed crowd on hand. Kirkpatrick takes the seat previously held by the late Justice Tim Armstead, who died last year. Justice Bill Flanigan is a newcomer to the bench as well, earning the majority vote in May to take former Justice Beth Walker’s seat. Walker retired last June.
A longtime Raleigh County circuit judge, Kirkpatrick noted that many people have supported him to this role.
“No one achieves success without help and encouragement,” Kirkpatrick said. “Along the way of life, you have to have approval, you have to praise, you have to have affirmation that you’re on the right course.”
Kirkpatrick took the bench in July. Originally from Beckley, Kirkpatrick went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and a law degree from the West Virginia University College of Law. He spent some time in Wyoming County practicing law in the early years of his career before his appointment as Raleigh County circuit judge in September 1995.
He said he’ll never forget his first visit to the Supreme Court Chamber.
“I was a green lawyer and I was scared, literally, to death,” Kirkpatrick said. “I sat down on the back row and I watched Justices Richard Neely and Darrell V. McGrew interrogate some poor lawyer that couldn’t come up with the right answer.”
Kirkpatrick served on the bench until his retirement as Raleigh County circuit judge at the end of 2024. He was elevated to Senior Judge Status on January 1, 2025 and presided over the Natalie Cochran murder trial in Beckley.
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Haley Bunn highlighted Kirkpatrick’s twenty years as a circuit judge, during his 50 years in the legal profession. She said that experience will serve the court well.
“We don’t want to sit up here and ‘ivory tower’ these issues,” Bunn said. “We want to make things better for the litigants, for the circuit judges, who are presiding throughout our state.”
Bunn made sure to mention the late Armstead, Kirkpatrick’s predecessor. She said his values still hold true in the court.
“Just last week, we marked a solemn occasion of one year without him,” Bunn said. “His legacy of servant leadership and commitment to this institution and the rule of law inspires us all to continue to do this for the right reasons.”
Several other justices, along with U.S. District Judge Irene Berger, were impressed by Kirkpatrick’s dedication to his craft.
Justice Bill Wooton shares some of the same roots as his new colleague.
“I, too, practiced in Raleigh County,” Wooton said. “Most of my career, and it lasted 50 years, most of my career as a practicing attorney, Judge Kirkpatrick was a presiding judge for me. I was blessed in that regard.”
Justice Charlie Trump said that Kirkpatrick has risen to the challenge at every step of his career.
“He’s spent his life in the love of the law and service in the judicial branch of this government,” Trump said. “His reputation for skill, integrity, judgment, judicial temperament, is known throughout all corners of this state and beyond.”
Circuit judges are tasked with tough decisions and long days, Berger noted. She said that Kirkpatrick handled it all with aplomb.
“Circuit court judges have the responsibility of deciding the future of abused and neglected children,” Berger said. “Circuit court is also the place where the hot-potato political issues land, and it is the place where Friday afternoon emergencies seem to grow.”
The West Virginia State Supreme Court’s fall term begins Wednesday with eight cases on its argument docket.