CHARLESTON – The state Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission has submitted three names to fill the open seat on Kanawha Circuit Court.
Kenneth Ballard, Nicole Cofer-Fleming and Christine Fox were the three applicants recommended by the JVAC to Gov. Jim Justice. The trio were three of the 12 applicants for the position created by the retirement of Judge Tod Kaufman.
Ballard is a Kanawha Family Court Judge. Cofer-Fleming is a traffic safety resource prosecutor at the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute, according to LinkedIn. Fox previously served as late Kanawha Circuit Judge Charles King’s law clerk.
The other candidates were Kevin Baker, Mark Browning, Jim Douglas, Dan Greear, Travis Griffith, Eric Hudnall, Beth Kavitz, Mychal Schulz and Zoe Shavers.
Kaufman announced his retirement March 8. It was effective March 31. A Charleston native, he was elected to the bench in the 13th Judicial Circuit (Kanawha County) in 1988 and re-elected in 1992, 2000, 2008 and 2016, serving as Chief Judge of West Virginia’s largest circuit several times.
With each judicial vacancy, the JVAC conducts interviews then deliberates before sending a list of the two to five persons it believes are the most qualified candidates to the governor's office. The interviews were conducted last week. The governor can choose from the JVAC-submitted list, or he can choose someone else.
The members of the JVAC are a mix of attorneys and lay members.
Earlier this year, Maryclaire Akers was chosen by Justice to replace King, who died in December.
