CHARLESTON – U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins is filing to run for a seat on the state Supreme Court.
Jenkins said he planned to file the paperwork with the Secretary of State's office Aug. 14.
"Since my early days of practicing law, I have always focused my work on serving the people of West Virginia," Jenkins said in a statement to The West Virginia Record. "Whether it be helping start Lily’s Place to care for newborn babies struggling from drug exposure during pregnancy or passing legislation that secured the health care benefits for our retired miners and their widows, helping people has always been my passion."
He said the Aug. 13 House of Delegates vote to impeach all current members of the state Supreme Court was an eye-opener for the state.
"As a public servant, I took a solemn oath to always uphold our God given constitutional rights, liberties and freedoms," Jenkins said. "Yesterday, the people’s house of our state Legislature voiced what most West Virginian’s have been feeling – our trust in the state’s highest court is broken.
"Now more than ever, we need public servants who will put the people first, restore transparency and accountability in our Supreme Court, not greed and self-interest. Today, I am filing to serve on the people’s court as justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals.
"West Virginia needs and deserves a justice who will put people before politics, uphold the Constitution and fight for fair and equal justice for all."
Jenkins, a Huntington native, currently serves the third congressional district. He ran against state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate and lost. From 1995 to 2001, he served in the House of Delegates. From 2002 to 2015, he served in the state Senate. He was elected to the U.S. House in 2014 and took office in 2015.
He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He also served as executive director of the West Virginia State Medical Association and has taught business at Marshall University.