Justice Menis Ketchum will be the next chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court.
Ketchum will replace Chief Justice Margaret Workman on Jan. 1, 2016. He had served as chief justice in 2012.
The chief justice is responsible for submitting the court's budget request to the Legislature and for choosing which justices will write opinions and decisions for the court.
The chief justice position generally rotates among the five justices every year, although it does not always rotate evenly. From 1979 until 2006, the justices rotated equally, each taking one shift as chief justice every five years. In 2006, though, the justices voted 3-2 to keep Robin Davis as chief justice for a second consecutive year, skipping over then-Justice Larry Starcher.
In 2009, the justices again diverged from schedule, when they voted to make Justice Brent Benjamin the chief justice, skipping over then-Justice Joe Albright.
Since 2010, the chief justices have been Davis (2010), Workman (2011), Ketchum (2012), Benjamin (2013), Davis (2014) and Workman (2015). Justice Allen Loughry, who was elected to the court in 2012, has yet to serve as chief justice, but is set to become chief justice in 2017, Ketchum said.
Ketchum's election as chief justice was unanimous, April Harless, a court spokeswoman, said.
Judicial elections in West Virginia are now, for the first time, nonpartisan. Davis, Workman and Ketchum were elected as Democrats, while Loughry and Benjamin were voted in as Republicans.
Ketchum was elected to the court in 2008, when two seats were up for election. He and Workman won the two seats, defeating incumbent Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard, law professor Bob Bastress and Beth Walker, who is running again for a seat on the court in next year's election. That seat is held by Benjamin. Former Democratic state legislator Bill Wooton also is running for Benjamin's seat.
Before serving on the court, Ketchum had been in private practice in Huntington since 1967. He joined his father's law firm, Greene, Ketchum & Baker (now known as Greene, Ketchum, Bailey, Farrell & Tweel), where he specialized in insurance defense, personal injury and criminal defense and became senior partner, according to his biography from the Supreme Court.
Ketchum, who was born in Huntington, went to college at Ohio University and law school at West Virginia University. He also served on the Marshall University Board of Governors from 2002 until his campaign for the Supreme Court.
Reach David Gutman at david.gutman@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5119 or follow @davidlgutman on Twitter.