Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has released the names of 11 applicants applying for a Greenbrier County judgeship as a result of the recent announcement by Joseph C. Pomponio of his plan to retire at the end of February 2014.
Those applying for judge in the 11th Judicial Circuit are:
• Jennifer P. Dent, assistant prosecutor with the Greenbrier County Prosecutor’s office;
• Roger D. Forman, Buckeye, Pocahontas County, attorney;
• Fred J. Giggenbach Jr., assistant prosecutor with the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s office;
• J. Steven Hunter, Lewisburg attorney;
• Ryan H. Keesee, Lewisburg attorney;
• Kelly K. Kemp, Lewisburg attorney;
• Britt Bernheim Ludwig, assistant prosecutor with the Greenbrier County Prosecutor’s office;
• Mark D. Moreland, Lewisburg attorney;
• William Pennington, Morgantown attorney; and
• Patrick L Via, Greenbrier County Prosecuting Attorney.
Interviews of the applicants to be held by the state”s Judicial Advisory Commission will be announced soon. The 11-person advisory commission will receive applications, conduct interviews and then send Tomblin two to five names for consideration. The governor also has the discretion of choosing outside of the list provided to him by the judicial advisory commission.
The uncompensated commission is made up of eight appointed members (four lawyers and four non-lawyers); and also includes the president of the West Virginia State Bar, Harry Dietzler; Tomblin’s general counsel, Peter Markham; and West Virginia University Law School Dean Joyce McConnell.
Other lawyers serving on the commission include: Debra Scudiere of Morgantown; Charles Trump of Berkeley Springs; Bert Ketchum of Huntington; and Kent Carper of Charleston. Non-lawyers include: West Virginia AFL-CIO President Kenny Perdue; Huntington businessman Doug Hardman; Wheeling businessman Don Wagenheim; and Charleston CPA Steven Robey.