West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Hutchison announces retirement

CHARLESTON, W.Va (WDTV) - West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Justice John Hutchison announced on Thursday, June 1 he will be retiring from the Court.

Justice Hutchison was previously appointed to the bench in the Tenth Judicial Circuit, which is Raleigh County, by then-Governor Gaston Caperton in 1995. He was elected to that seat in 1996 and re-elected in 2000, 2008, and 2016.

Justice Hutchison was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2018 by Gov. Justice and won election in 2020.

Hutchison was born and raised in Beckley and has been a registered official with the Secondary School Activities Commission in soccer and baseball for about 15 years. He has also served on the Board of Directors at the Beckley-Raleigh County YMCA.

Hutchison is a West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow and the recipient of the 2019 Liberty Bell Award and the 2019 Champion of Children Award.

Justice Hutchison wrote to Chief Justice Walker saying he wanted to give appropriate notice that he would not be seeking reelection, but he said he does plan to finish his term that will end on December 31, 2024.

Justice Hutchison also reminisced on his time in law and in the judiciary profession saying, “Serving as a member of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has been, for me, an honor and the capstone of my legal career.”

In the letter, he goes on to thank the 1,500 employees who work for the Court that he worked alongside, his family, the other justices, and the people of West Virginia.