John A. Hutchison (born 1950) is an American lawyer who served as a justice of the

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the state supreme court of the state of West Virginia, the highest of West Virginia's State court (United States), state courts. The court sits primarily at the West Virginia State Capitol in Char ...

from 2018 to 2024. He served as chief justice in 2022.

Education

Hutchison received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in history and political science from

Davis & Elkins College Davis & Elkins College (D&E) is a private college in Elkins, West Virginia, United States. It operates as a nonprofit liberal arts college and is affiliated with the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities. History The school was ...

in 1972. He graduated with his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

West Virginia University College of Law The West Virginia University College of Law is the professional school for the study of law at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The law school was established on February 20, 1878, as the first professional s ...

in 1980.

Career

Hutchison practiced law in Raleigh County for 10 years with Gorman, Sheatsley and Hutchison. In 1991, he opened the Nationwide Insurance West Virginia Trial Division Office and served as its managing trial attorney for four years.

Judicial service

Hutchison was appointed to the bench in the Tenth Judicial Circuit (Raleigh County) by then-Governor

Gaston Caperton William Gaston Caperton III (born February 21, 1940) is an American politician who served as the 31st governor of West Virginia from 1989 to 1997. He was president of the College Board, which administers the nationally recognized SAT and Advanced ...

in 1995, and he was elected to that seat in 1996 and re-elected in 2000, 2008 and 2016.

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia

After the resignation of Justice

Allen Loughry Allen Hayes Loughry, II (born August 9, 1970) is a former justice on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. Loughry was arrested by the FBI in 2018 after being indicted by a grand jury. In October 2018, he was convicted on 11 federal offe ...

, Hutchison was one of fifteen people interviewed by the West Virginia Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission for the vacancy. He was appointed by Governor

Jim Justice James Conley Justice II (born April 27, 1951) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from West Virginia. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2017 to 2025 as the 36th gover ...

on December 12, 2018. Justice appointed Hutchison despite their different party registration. Hutchison had previously been elected as a Democrat through several partisan judicial elections. Nevertheless, the Republican Justice called Hutchison "one of the most conservative, respected jurists in the state of West Virginia" upon his appointment. Then-Republican Party Chair Melody Potter celebrated the appointment while Belinda Biafore, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, accused Justice of playing politics with the appointment. In June 2020, Hutchison faced his first election to serve the remainder of former Justice Allen Loughry's term. Hutchison beat Lora Dyer, a circuit court judge on the Fifth

West Virginia Circuit Court The West Virginia Circuit Courts are the West Virginia state trial courts of general jurisdiction. They are the only state trial courts in West Virginia that are courts of record. West Virginia's 55 counties are divided into 31 circuits, each co ...

and attorney William Schwartz. Hutchison became chief justice in 2022.

Personal

He is married to Victoria Lagowski Hutchison and they have two children and two grandchildren.

References

External links

Official Biography on the West Virginia Judiciary website
* , - 1950 births 21st-century American judges Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Davis & Elkins College alumni Living people Lawyers from Beckley, West Virginia West Virginia Democrats West Virginia circuit court judges West Virginia University College of Law alumni Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia {{WestVirginia-state-judge-stub