West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals issued the following announcement on Feb. 4.
Justice Evan Jenkins has resigned from the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, effective Sunday, February 6. Justice Jenkins delivered his resignation letter to Governor Jim Justice in person on Friday morning.
“I came to the Supreme Court with a promise to restore the public’s trust and confidence in the Court. Working with my colleagues, we have made much progress,” Justice Jenkins said. “The time is right for me to return to working on projects and progress for a better West Virginia. I want to express my appreciation to my fellow justices for their leadership and dedicated public service. I have enjoyed working with them all.”
His resignation letter says, “After a great deal of prayer and careful consideration with my family, I have decided to return to the practice of law and put my years of state and federal experience to work promoting job-creating economic development projects and championing the issues I so deeply believe will benefit the people of West Virginia.” “It has been my distinct privilege and honor to serve the great people of West Virginia these past four years as a Justice and Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court.
I am grateful for the opportunity you and the voters of West Virginia gave me to make a positive contribution to the state through the judicial system,” the letter to the governor said. Chief Justice John Hutchison said, “During the last three years I have worked with Justice Jenkins, I have been impressed with his dedication to making the Court a court that is known for its fiscal responsibility and, most importantly, a court that is dedicated to the rule of law. “Justice Jenkins has been a leader both as a Justice and as Chief Justice in moving this court forward.
His dedication to the people of the state of West Virginia, the West Virginia judicial system, and to the rule of law is exemplary. Justice Jenkins led the charge in developing programs which focused on access to justice, especially in domestic law, and he was also a champion of all those who work within the system or who rely on the system for help.
His leadership, dedication, and good humor will be missed. I wish him all the best in his new endeavors,” Chief Justice Hutchison said. “Since 2018 when Justice Jenkins was first appointed and then elected, the members of the New Court have worked closely as a team to restore public confidence in the integrity of our judiciary,” said Justice Beth Walker.
“Right from the start and then later as Chief Justice, he made crucial contributions to our initiatives and projects based on his many years of experience in state and federal government.
His leadership on promoting civility in our profession and education about our branch of government will have a positive impact on our state for many years to come. I am very grateful to have worked with Justice Jenkins, and I will miss him on the Court.” “It has been an honor and pleasure to serve with Justice Jenkins on our Supreme Court for the past three years,” said Justice Tim Armstead.
“When Justice Jenkins and I joined the Court in 2018, our judicial system was in crisis. The new court has worked together as a team to restore the confidence of our citizens in their court. Justice Jenkins has been a tremendous leader in this effort and his intelligence, talent, and work ethic will be greatly missed. “I deeply value our working relationship and strong friendship and wish him well as he starts the next step in his amazing career as a lawyer, judge, and public servant,” Justice Armstead said. “Justice Jenkins made immeasurable contributions to the Supreme Court in the aftermath of the darkest days in our Court’s history, the 2017-2018 debacle,” said Justice William R. Wooton. “His good humor, his warmth, and friendship will really be missed by my colleagues and me. He brought a lot of personal skills to the job, and he was an ideal Chief Justice. I wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Governor Justice appointed Justice Evan H. Jenkins to the Supreme Court on August 25, 2018, and he took the oath of office on October 1. Justice Jenkins was elected on November 6, 2018, to a term ending December 31, 2024.
Original source can be found here.