CHARLESTON – Beth Walker, the most senior of justices on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, has announced her impending retirement.
Walker, 60, submitted her retirement letter April 19 to Chief Justice Bill Wooton, their fellow Justices and Gov. Patrick Morrisey. She said she will retire June 27.
Walker joined the state Supreme Court in 2017. Her current term was scheduled to end at the end of 2028.
“While serving the people of West Virginia has been the greatest honor of my life, I now do my part to usher in a new generation of leadership while spending more time with my family, friends, and pursuing other interests,” Walker said in her letter. “I am grateful to the people of this state who elected me.”
In the letter, Walker said the court has “achieved significant success” during her tenure.
“We have restored public trust in the judicial branch of government by increasing transparency, accountability and impartiality while returning the focus of the judiciary to the rule of law,” she wrote. “We have established a cooperative and functioning relationship with both the legislative and executive branches, which I hope endures for years to come.
“Further, we instituted and maintain financial, human resources, technology and procurement policies that did not exist. The creation of these policies was not only good for the administration of the justice system, it also was the right thing to do for the people of our state.
“Together, we adopted a strategic plan for the judiciary that will provide stability, transparency and efficiency for many years. And we opened a Judicial Learning Center at the court where students and other visitors can learn about the judicial branch of government and hopefully younger generations are inspired to become West Virginia's attorneys and judges of tomorrow.”
Now, the state Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission will collect applications, conduct interviews and make recommendations for a replacement to Morrisey, who then will appoint a new justice to temporarily serve until an election in 2026 for someone to finish the final two years of her term.
The four other current justices praised Walker for her leadership and wisdom, as well as her efforts to improve transparency, accessibility and civility across the judicial branch.
“Justice Walker has been an outstanding member of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia,” Chief Justice Bill Wooton said. “Regardless of who is Chief – and that role is currently mine – Beth Walker has been a leader on this court. This is in part due to her institutional knowledge, being our longest-serving justice, but the real foundation of her leadership is her judicial temperament and intellect.
“In some appellate courts in other jurisdictions – and in this court at different times – the internal deliberations have been caustic and acrimonious. That has never happened in our court because Justice Walker has been a force insisting on collegiality and civility among our members. Her leadership in this area has been a real strength of our court.
"While I would like to persuade Beth to remain on the court, I will respect her judgment. Nonetheless, I sincerely regret that Justice Elizabeth Walker will very shortly cease to be a member of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.”
Justice Tim Armstead agreed.
“Justice Walker has worked to instill a high degree of civility and openness across the judiciary by working to build public trust and make our courts more transparent and accessible,” Armstead said. “Her depth of knowledge and work to promote cooperation helped to make our court function fairly and efficiently. We will certainly miss her and appreciate her friendship and dedication during her years of public service.”
Justice C. Haley Bunn called Walker "an invaluable mentor and a true friend.”
“When I was first appointed in 2022, she went above and beyond to welcome me and help me settle in to the court," Bunn said. "In addition to her unwavering commitment to improving West Virginia’s court system through transparency and sound legal judgment, Justice Walker truly cares about all the people who serve in our branch and is a nationally recognized advocate for the implementation of legal health and wellness programs which help judges and lawyers manage the rigors of our high-stress, high-intensity jobs.
"I will truly miss serving alongside her on the court, but wish Beth and her husband Mike all the best in her upcoming retirement.”
Justice Charles S. Trump also lauded Walker.
“It would be impossible to overstate Justice Walker’s enormous contributions to the Supreme Court and to the entirety of the judiciary in West Virginia,” said Trump, who joined the court this year. “Justice Walker’s leadership has been instrumental in guiding the Supreme Court forward and restoring trust in it with the citizens of this state.
"Her fairness and integrity have set standards to which we must all aspire. She has earned the admiration and respect of the people of West Virginia, including the bench, the bar and all of our citizens. She has been West Virginia’s best-known ambassador to other judicial officials throughout America, and more than any other person, she has worked to develop respect for West Virginia’s judiciary throughout the nation. I wish Justice Walker every happiness in her retirement, but I will miss her greatly as a colleague on the Supreme Court.”
After an unsuccessful bid in 2008, Walker was elected to the court in 2016. She ran against incumbent Justice Brent Benjamin, former state Attorney General Darrell McGraw and Wooton. She served as Chief Justice in 2019 and 2023.
In 2018 after former Justice Allen Loughry’s arrest and resignation, the House of Delegates voted to impeach the other four sitting Supreme Court justices. Walker was named in one article of impeachment related to misuse of state funds. She was the only justice to go through a trial in the state Senate, which voted 32-1 not to remove Walker from the court.
Walker was raised in Huron, Ohio, and graduated from Hillsdale College in Michigan in 1987. She received her law degree from Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law in 1990. She previously was an attorney for the West Virginia University Health System and was a partner at Bowles Rice, where she practiced labor and employment law for more than 20 years.
In 2012, Walker was elected a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. She is a 1999 graduate of Leadership West Virginia. A lifelong Girl Scout, Walker is former chair of the board of directors of Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council. She also served as chair of the boards of Leadership West Virginia and Kanawha Pastoral Counseling Center. She is married to Mike Walker and stepmother to Jennifer.
In 2020, Walker and three other state Supreme Court justices – Justice Rhonda Wood of the Arkansas Supreme Court, Chief Justice Bridget McCormack of the Michigan Supreme Court and Justice Eva Guzman of the Texas Supreme Court – launched the podcast Lady Justice: Women of the Court about the judicial branch of government and their experiences on their states’ highest appellate court.