CHARLESTON – Kenneth Ballard is Kanawha County's newest circuit court judge.
On April 26, Gov. Jim Justice appointed Ballard, who lives in Charleston, to the Kanawha Circuit Court. He will fill the seat vacated when former Judge Tod Kaufman retired last month.
Ballard graduated from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke College of Law in 2001, and he has been a Kanawha Family Court judge since 2008. He has served as Chief Family Court Judge in 2010, and he also has served as a Juvenile Drug Court Judge.
Ballard
“I am truly honored by Governor Justice’s appointment of me to Judge Tod Kaufman’s former position,” Ballard said. “I want to thank Judge Kaufman for his countless years of service, and I will strive to continue his distinguished legacy for the citizens of Kanawha County.
"I am appreciative to the Judicial Vacancy (Advisory) Commission for selecting me for nomination. Finally, thank you to everyone who supported me through the appointment process.”
Last week, the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission submitted three names to fill the open seat to the governor's office. They were Ballard, Nicole Cofer-Fleming and Christine Fox. The trio were three of the 12 applicants for the position created by the retirement of Judge Tod Kaufman.
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.
“Judge Ballard’s exemplary service to Kanawha County as a mental hygiene commissioner and a family court judge will serve him well in his future work as a circuit judge," state Supreme Court Chief Justice Evan Jenkins said. "I congratulate him on his appointment and look forward to working with him in this new capacity."
Ballard was elected to the Kanawha Family Court in 2008 and re-elected in 2016. He is a past president of the Family Court Judges Association.
Ballard was born in 1974 and grew up in Charleston. He graduated from George Washington High School in 1992. After graduating from law school, he worked at the Charleston firm Bickley & Jacobs, where he had worked during summers since high school. He then opened his own practice in 2004. He also worked as a Kanawha County Mental Hygiene Commissioner from 2006 to 2008. He is admitted to practice before The West Virginia Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Ballard also is a softball coach of Mountaineer Little League and a Boy Scout volunteer. He is married to Allison Ballard, and they have three children.
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 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.
