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 courts. The court sits primarily at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, although from 1873 ...

since January 1, 2021.

Education

Wooton received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in business management from

Marshall University Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. The university is currently composed of nine colleges: ...

and his Juris Doctor 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 in 1878 as the first professional school in the s ...

, 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 s ...

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...

, 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 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 career

Wooton was a law clerk for the Honorable John A. Field, Jr., Judge,

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 federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryland ...

from 1971 to 1972; an assistant West Virginia Attorney General from 1972 to 74; 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 through 2020.

Justice of the 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.

References

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