WESTON – New circuit judge Kurt W. Hall will take the bench for the first time on Aug. 9.
Hall was recently appointed to the 26th Judicial Circuit by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. He will handle cases from Lewis and Upshur counties and is replacing the retired Judge Thomas Keadle.
Senior Status Judge John L. Henning was the immediate replacement for Keadle, who retired on Jan. 31. Henning will deliver the oath of office to Hall at a morning ceremony.
A 1995 graduate of West Virginia University’s College of Law, Hall, 48 and a Jane Lew resident, served as an assistant prosecutor in Randolph County before going to work in Harrison County in 2002.
In 2011, Hall was one of seven candidates the county commission considered to fill the vacancy created by former Prosecutor Richard Busch, who resigned that December amid allegations of misconduct and office mismanagement.
Hall was admitted to the Bar on April 30, 1996.
Tomblin chose Hall over Upshur County Prosecutor Jacob Reger and Roanoke attorney C. Sue Holvey. The state Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission on March 27 had selected Hall, Reger and Holvey as finalists from a field of seven candidates.
From the West Virginia Record: Reach John O’Brien at jobrienwv@gmail.com.
New circuit judge taking office on Aug. 9
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