Why I’m Running for the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals

At 74 years of age, people sometimes ask why I am running for the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals. The answer is simple: to protect children and help families.

In 2022, the Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) was created and given jurisdiction over nearly all appeals from Family Court, except domestic violence cases. That means when families challenge custody decisions, child support orders, or relocation rulings, their appeals go directly to the ICA.

The court is made up of only three judges. None of the current judges had previously served as Family Court Judges, and none had significant experience practicing family law or handling divorce and child custody matters before taking the bench.

While appellate experience is important, appeals involving families should not be decided by judges who are learning family law on the job — not when children and parents are depending on those decisions.

If your child needed medical care, you would want the most experienced doctor available. If your vehicle needed repair, you would choose a trained mechanic. When families come before the court, they deserve the same level of experience and understanding.

For nearly four decades, I practiced family law across West Virginia, representing parents, grandparents, and children in courtrooms in 44 of our state’s 55 counties. For more than nine years, I have served as a Family Court Judge, where I have seen firsthand how deeply court decisions affect families’ lives.

I have looked into the eyes of grandparents who have been denied contact with their grandchildren.
I have listened to mothers struggling to collect child support.
I have heard the pleas of fathers whose former spouses are moving children out of state.

These are not abstract legal questions — they are real families facing real consequences.

When cases like these reach the appellate level, they deserve review by someone who understands not only the law, but also the realities of family court. I believe my career has prepared me to serve in that role with fairness, experience, and compassion.

That is why I am running for the Intermediate Court of Appeals — so that families across West Virginia can have confidence that their appeals are being heard by a judge who knows family law, knows our communities, and understands what is at stake.