West Virginia Circuit Courts

The West Virginia Circuit Courts are the state's trial courts of general jurisdiction and the only state trial courts that function as courts of record. West Virginia's 55 counties are divided into 31 judicial circuits, each covering one to four counties with its own complement of judges, a structure realigning to 30 circuits effective 2024. Circuit judges were elected on partisan ballots for eight year terms until a 2015 change made future elections non-partisan; a judge must have practiced law for at least five years, and a vacancy is filled by gubernatorial appointment until the next election. The courts hold original jurisdiction over civil cases above $300, equity cases, extraordinary writs such as habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, prohibition and certiorari, and all felonies and misdemeanors, plus appellate jurisdiction over magistrate and municipal court appeals; administrative agency and family court appeals moved to the new Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia after June 30, 2022. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/