CHARLESTON — West Virginia Supreme Court Justice John Hutchison says he is retiring when his term ends at the end of 2024.
Hutchison submitted a letter May 1 to current Chief Justice Beth Walker announcing his plan.
“It is with mixed emotions that I am writing today to officially inform you and anyone in the public who might be interested that I will not be seeking reelection to the Supreme Court of Appeals in the upcoming election cycle,” Hutchison wrote. “I believe that the court and others need to know of my intentions so that you can plan appropriately.”
Hutchison, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in December 2018 by Gov. Jim Justice and elected in 2020 to his current term, said he wanted to make sure anyone who might seek to run for the seat knew his plans.
“Serving as a member of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has been, for me, an honor and the capstone of my legal career,” wrote Hutchison, who served as Chief Justice in 2022. “As you know at the end of 2024, I will have been serving in the legal profession for nearly 45 years with nearly 30 years of that as a judge.
“When I came to the court in January 2019, the judicial system was starting to come out of a very dark place. In the last five years, the new court has made amazing strides in reestablishing the integrity of the third branch of government.”
He went on to thank his fellow Justices as well as the 1,500 employees who work for the court.
“To those individuals I want to express my sincere appreciation for the hard work and dedication given by each of them during this transition,” Hutchison wrote. “I am continually amazed by the innovative thinking and hard work of all of those who support the very important work of this court.
“To every one of those individuals, I say thank you for all you have done for me personally but more importantly for what you have done to move this branch of government forward.”
He said time with his family and local golf courses await.
“I intend to stay active after my service on the court and hope that I will be able to provide service as a senior status judge or perhaps a mediator,” Hutchison wrote. “I want all to know that I will continue to devote my time and energy to serve the court and the people of West Virginia until the last day of my term.”
Hutchison was a circuit court judge for 23 years before being appointed to the Supreme Court. He was appointed to Raleigh Circuit Court in 1995 and ran for re-election in 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2016. When he was a circuit court judge, Hutchison was a member of the Supreme Court’s Mass Litigation Panel and was a judicial representative on the Commission to Study Residential Placement of Children.
Hutchison previously served as treasurer, secretary, vice president and president of the West Virginia Judicial Association and was chairman and vice-chairman of the association’s legislative and pensions committees.
He received a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Davis and Elkins College in 1972. He received his law degree from West Virginia University in 1980.