John A. Hutchison
John A. Hutchison (born 1950) is a lawyer and jurist currently serving as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. He joined the court in 2018 and has served as chief justice since 2022. Education. Hutchison received his Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from Davis & Elkins College in 1972. He graduated with his Juris Doctor from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1980. Legal 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. State judicial service. Hutchison was appointed to the bench in the Tenth Judicial Circuit (Raleigh County) by then-Governor Gaston Caperton in 1995, and he was elected to that seat in 1996 and re-elected in 2000, 2008 and 2016. Appointment to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. After the resignation of Justice Allen Loughry, 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 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 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.