CHARLESTON – Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has announced the appointment of James W. Courrier Jr. as Circuit Court Judge for the 21st Circuit Court serving Grant, Mineral and Tucker counties.
Courrier will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of former Circuit Court Judge Philip Jordan.
"James' years of experience as a county prosecutor and his active community involvement make him a highly qualified candidate and reputable choice for the 21st Circuit," Tomblin said in a statement. "I'm confident he will continue to serve the people of Grant, Mineral and Tucker counties well as he takes on this new role."
A graduate of Potomac State College, West Virginia University and West Virginia University College of Law, Courrier began his career in 1994 as an associate with the Law Office of Barr and James.
In 1996, Courrier became sole practitioner for the Law Office of James W. Courrier Jr. Shortly after, he began his 11-year tenure as assistant prosecuting attorney for Mineral County, while also working part time as Allegany County's assistant state's attorney in Maryland.
For the past seven years, he has served as prosecuting attorney for Mineral County.
Throughout his professional career, Courrier has also been actively involved in his community, where he has served as a member of numerous professional, private and charitable organizations, including the Kiwanis Club of Keyser, Faith in Action, the Potomac State College Alumni Association Board, Mineral County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and many more.
"I'm very excited to continue the work Judge Jordan has done over 17-plus years," Courrier said. "I worked with him and admired the way he conducted himself on the bench. I'm also eager to be reunited with Judge Nelson, my former boss in the Mineral County prosecutor's office."