CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia circuit judge is retiring after 32 years.
Kanawha County Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman will step down effective March 31, the county commission said in a statement Monday.
Kaufman served in the state Legislature for six years before being elected as a judge in 1988. He served as a chief judge four times.
Kaufman presided over several high-profile cases.
Last year, Kaufman dropped charges against a state lawmaker who became violent over a racist display outside the House of Delegates chamber at the state Capitol. He also dismissed a lawsuit in September filed by a parent challenging the state’s school re-entry metrics and coronavirus map.