PETERSBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) – “Robert Edward ‘Booter’ Ryan will be sworn in as a judge in the Twenty-First Judicial Circuit (Grant, Mineral, and Tucker Counties) in a ceremony at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, in the courtroom at the Grant County Courthouse in Petersburg. A reception will follow at Fairview Farm in Maysville, Grant County.
The Honorable Thomas S. Kleeh, Chief United States Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia, will deliver the oath of office.
Governor Jim Justice appointed Mr. Ryan to fill the vacancy left by the June 30 retirement of Judge Lynn A. Nelson.
Mr. Ryan earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from West Virginia University in 1996 and earned his law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 2000. He is admitted to practice law in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, two United States Courts of Appeals, and five United States district courts.
He is a former member of the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia, the West Virginia Association of Justice, the Defense Research Institute, the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, and several bar associations. He was repeatedly recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers and by Best Lawyers in America, being named as Lawyer of the Year in Railroad Law in 2019.
In his spare time, he is a Tenured Level 4 On-Ice Official and officiates ice hockey for teams sanctioned by USA Hockey and the American Collegiate Hockey Association. He has previously served as a seminar instructor and as state supervisor for USA Hockey. He is an Eagle Scout and an avid backpacker and hiker. His favorite hiking spot in West Virginia is Chimney Top on North Fork Mountain in Grant County.
Mr. Ryan’s ancestry runs deep in the Twenty-First Circuit. His great-great-great- grandfather, Solomon W. Cosner, was the first permanent settler of Canaan Valley. His great-great-great-uncle, Ernst Muntzing, was the first clerk of court for the newly-formed Grant County in 1866. His great-uncle, Gus Muntzing, served as judge in Hardy, Hampshire, and Pendleton Counties.
His great-grandfather, William H. Muntzing, served as sheriff of Grant County.
Mr. Ryan has served multiple terms as a member of the Maysville Cemetery, Inc., Board of Directors. He resides on and manages the cattle and hay farms established by William H. Muntzing in Maysville more than 100 years ago.”