WHEELING — The investiture ceremony of Bethlehem resident and recently elected Supreme Court Justice Bill Flanigan was held Thursday at West Virginia Independence Hall. The oath of office was administered by First Circuit Judge Joseph Barki. Justice Flanigan was elected to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in May.
A former Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 4th delegate district, Flanigan was joined at the ceremony by other circuit judges from the First and Second Judicial Circuits, family, friends and colleagues.
After launching his campaign in March, Flanigan embarked on a whirlwind, statewide 55-county tour, traveling nearly 10,000 miles to communities across West Virginia to meet voters face-to-face and hear from people directly affected by decisions made in the courts, running on the principles of judicial independence, equal justice under the law and upholding the state constitution.
Justice Flanigan expressed deep gratitude for the voters’ trust and offered a special thank-you to the Northern Panhandle for their substantial support.
“I have never been so humbled as the night of the election, to see the results that came out of the Northern Panhandle,” Flanigan said. “When you can pull 90% of the vote from not just the Republican side, but the Democrat side and the independents; 90%, that’s an amazing number, and the Northern Panhandle put their trust in me and I’m going to do my best while I’m down there.”
Flanigan scored a decisive 16-point victory over sitting Justice Thomas Ewing for the Division 2 seat, winning by a margin of over 32,000 votes. Ewing was appointed to the position by Gov. Patrick Morrisey in August of last year to fill the seat left by Beth Walker who retired. The unexpired term ends Dec. 31, 2028. While West Virginia Supreme Court justices traditionally serve 12-year terms, special election winners fill only the remainder of the vacated seat. Flanigan has indicated he intends to run for a full 12-year term when the seat comes up for election in May 2028.
