Elected (nonpartisan)5 justices· 12-year terms· SCAWV
Chief: Selected by vote of the justices; ordinarily a one-year term beginning in January, currently transitioning to a fiscal-year basis (Chief Justice Bunn serving an 18-month term from Jan 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027)..
Adopted 1872. Its declaration of rights sits in Article III (Bill of Rights). This court has the final word on what the West Virginia constitution means.
Mixed approach
How a state reads its own rights provisions relative to the federal floor, lockstep vs departure.
State-court structure and selection methods are from official and reference sources; the justice roster is point-in-time. Civibrief carries each state's highest court (lower state courts are out of scope for now).
