Robert E. Richardson has announced his candidacy for a full term as Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, which includes Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties. He has served as Circuit Judge since July 1, 2014, following his appointment by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to complete the unexpired term of retiring Judge Joseph C. Pomponio. He became Chief Judge of the Circuit Court on January 1, 2016.
In announcing his candidacy, Richardson pledged to maintain a high standard of integrity and impartiality. “A good judge must listen to all of the parties, and then apply the law and good common sense in making his or her decisions,” he said. “Each day that I have the honor of serving as Circuit Judge, I strive to carry on that tradition, to uphold the law, and to protect the values of our community.”
Richardson grew up in Greenbrier County,attended the county’s public schools, and earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in 1984. While a student at WVU, he was the University’s first recipient of the Truman Scholarship (a national award presented to recognize leadership potential in public service), and served as the WVU Mountaineer mascot during the 1982-83 academic year. Richardson received his legal education at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an editor of the Virginia Law Review and recipient of the Ritter Prize for Honor, Character, and Integrity.
Judge Richardson began his legal career with the Institute for Public Representation in Washington, DC, where he worked primarily on matters concerning the civil rights of persons with disabilities, including extensive work on behalf of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. While with IPR, he also served as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. He moved back to West Virginia in 1990 to work as the managing attorney of a legal aid office in Clarksburg and also taught part-time as an adjunct faculty member at the WVU College of Law.
After a decade of public interest legal work, Richardson returned to his hometown of Lewisburg in 1997 to pursue the private practice of law and opened his own firm in 2000. His experience as a lawyer included both civil and criminal litigation, as well as an extensive practice in estate planning, real estate and business transactions. “My broad background in the law has been particularly helpful to me as a judge, because of the wide variety of cases that come before the Circuit Court,” Judge Richardson said. Tomblin specifically cited Judge Richardson’s “extensive legal and professional background, as well as his commitment to serving his community,” as reasons for his appointment as circuit judge.
Richardson has developed a strong reputation as a hard worker who moves cases to final resolution. Since his appointment to the bench, he has dramatically reduced the backlog of cases pending before the Circuit Court, as well as the length of time that cases take to be resolved. When Judge Richardson took office, he faced a pending caseload of well over 600 cases, more than half of which had been pending longer than the time provided by time standards established by the state Supreme Court. Within his first 18 months as judge, he had reduced the total number of cases before him by a third, and the number taking longer than the applicable time standards had been cut by 60 percent. “It takes hard work, but my goal is to make certain that each case receives the attention it deserves and that all cases are decided without undue delay,” Richardson explained. He noted that more than 1,000 new cases are filed annually in the Eleventh Circuit, and a 2014 study of the state judiciary found that the circuit’s two judges handle a workload well above the average for circuit judges in West Virginia.
As judge, Richardson has been particularly concerned with drug abuse and its effect on the community. He presides over the Southeastern Regional Drug Court’s operations in Pocahontas County, and has continued his education through programs of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Richardson has also participated in classes at the National Judicial College.
Richardson’s community service has included work on the boards of directors of several local and statewide organizations, including the Greenbrier Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity of West Virginia, Legal Aid of West Virginia, the Greenbrier County Youth Camp, and HospiceCare. For 25 years before his appointment to the bench, he served as the director of the West Virginia Older 4-H Members Conference, a week-long leadership development program for high school and college age youth, and he has been inducted into the West Virginia 4-H Hall of Fame.
He and his wife, Susan, have been married for more than 30 years, and have two daughters.
