The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia recently announced Justice William R. “Bill” Wooton has been designated to serve as chief justice during 2025.
“I am honored to be selected by my colleagues to serve as chief justice in the coming year and look forward to this opportunity to lead our judicial branch,” Justice Wooton said. “West Virginia is unique in that we rotate our chief justice every year. I believe this helps strengthen our Court by allowing each of the five justices to share in the administrative work of the judicial branch while bringing our own individual perspectives to its leadership.”
Elected in 2020 to a 12-year term which began Jan. 1, 2021, this will be Justice Wooton’s first year serving as chief justice. He succeeds current Chief Justice Tim Armstead, who served as chief justice in 2020 and 2024.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished in 2024, including our efforts to make magistrate court records more accessible by launching an online search portal as well as the work we began toward clarifying the role of guardians ad litem in abuse and neglect matters,” Chief Justice Armstead said. “I know Justice Wooton will continue our Court’s commitment to transparency and accountability while also strengthening the public’s trust in our court system.”
In addition to Justice Wooton’s chief justice designation for 2025, the Court has also selected Justice Haley Bunn to serve as chief justice in 2026. Justice Bunn will also serve as acting chief justice in 2025 when Chief Justice Wooton is unavailable.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve the people of our state and look forward to working with Chief Justice Wooton throughout 2025,” Justice Bunn said.
