CHARLESTON – Retiring state Supreme Court Justice says she’s stepping down to spend more time with her family, and she’s doing it now because the court is stable.
“I think this is the right time for me, but my primary concern in the exact timing is to try to do it in a way that least affects the court,” Walker said April 28 during an appearance on MetroNews’ “Talkline” program. “We’ve made incredible accomplishments in the last several years, and I don’t want my stepping away to disrupt our cases and all of the work that we do.
“So, I decided summertime is the best time because we generally hear cases in June and July or August, and we’re normally busy doing all of the things to prepare for the fall. So, it’s probably the least disruptive time.”
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.
She joined the state Supreme Court in 2017. Her current term was scheduled to end at the end of 2028.
Walker said the reason for her retirement is personal.
“I’m ready to retire,” she told “Talkline” hosts Dave Wilson and T.J. Meadows. “I’m ready to spend a little more time with my beloved Mr. Walker, who has been retired for a little while, and so I have the good fortune of doing it at the time when I won’t have too much disruption to the court.”
In her retirement letter to Chief Justice Bill Wooton, Walker said the court has “achieved significant success” during her tenure.
“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.
“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. 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.
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.