William R. Wooton
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William R. Wooton (born September 20, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who has 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 ...
since January 1, 2021. He became chief justice in 2025.


Education

Wooton 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 business management from
Marshall University Marshall University is a public university, public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the Uni ...
and 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, where he was editor-in-Chief of the
West Virginia Law Review The ''West Virginia Law Review'' is a triannual student-run law review published by the West Virginia University College of Law. It was established in 1894 and is the fourth oldest law review in the United States. History The journal underwent ...
,
Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif () is an American honor society for law school graduates. The Order was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois College of Law. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of trial lawyers, the serjeants-at-la ...
, and graduated at the top of his class.


Political career


House of Delegates

Wooton was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing District 27 from 1978 to 1986, 1988 to 1990, and 2008 to 2010. He served as House Majority Leader from 1985 to 1986.


Senate

Wooton served in the West Virginia
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from 1991 through 2002 and also served as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Wooton was also an unsuccessful candidate to return to the Senate in 2018.


Legal and judicial career

Wooton was a law clerk for Judge John A. Field Jr. of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district cou ...
from 1971 to 1972; an assistant West Virginia Attorney General from 1972 to 1974; and an assistant Raleigh County prosecutor from 1974 to 1977. He practiced law in Beckley with the firm Wooton, Wooton & Fragile from 1977 until 1994; with The Wooton Law Firm from 1994 until 2014; and with Wooton & Wooton, Attorneys at Law, from 2014 to 2020.


Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia

Wooton was elected to a 12 year term in a nonpartisan election to the Supreme Court of Appeals on June 9, 2020, and began his term on January 1, 2021. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Court in 2016, losing to future colleague Beth Walker.


Personal life

Wooton served in the West Virginia Army National Guard and the United States Army Reserve, reaching the rank of colonel. He is married to his wife, Shir, and they have three adult sons and five grandchildren.


Electoral history


References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wooton, William R. 1944 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the West Virginia Legislature 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century members of the West Virginia Legislature American prosecutors Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Democratic Party members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Party West Virginia state senators Justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Lawyers from Beckley, West Virginia Marshall University alumni Politicians from Beckley, West Virginia West Virginia lawyers West Virginia University College of Law alumni