BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The first of five satellite locations to be utilized by the Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia was presented Tuesday morning in a ribbon cutting ceremony in Raleigh County.
The event was held in the Ceremonial Courtroom on the second floor of the historic Raleigh County Courthouse in Beckley, with proceedings getting underway at 10:30am.
In attendance for the ceremony were the first three judges to serve on the Intermediate Court of Appeals as appointed by Governor Jim Justice: Judge Thomas E. Scarr, Judge Daniel W. Greear, and Judge Charles O. Lorensen.
Also in attendance were Raleigh County Commission President Dave Tolliver, Supreme Court Justice of Appeals of West Virginia Tim Armstead, Department of Health and Human Resources Commissioner Jeff Pack, Delegate Brandon Steele (R – Raleigh, 29) and Senator Rollan A. Roberts (R – Raleigh, 09), among others.
Having been signed into law on April 9, 2021 and officially opened on July 1, 2022, the Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia was created pursuant to the West Virginia Appellate Reorganization Act of 2021.
Pursuant to Chapter 51, Article 11, Section 4 of the West Virginia Code, the jurisdiction of the Intermediate Court of Appeals includes appeals of final orders or judgments in a number of areas including Civil, Family (including 50/50 custody interlocutory appeals), Workers’ Compensation Board of Review, Administrative, and Guardianship/Conservatorship
A designated courtroom in the West Virginia Judicial Tower in Charleston serves as the primary location in which the court is housed and in which pertinent business is conducted.
Though it should be noted that the court retains the authority to conduct court at any county seat throughout the State of West Virginia.
Litigants are given the option of venturing to Kanawha County to engage in proceedings or using one of five established satellite courtrooms.
The agreed upon locations for these courtrooms are Petersburg in Grant County, Weston in Lewis County, Berkeley Springs in Morgan County, and New Martinsville in Wetzel, and of course Beckley in Raleigh County.
An enthusiastic Judge Dan Greear, of Charleston, manned the microphone early in the proceedings, and took on the role of an emcee of sorts for the session.
Introducing his fellow judges, Judge Scarr, of Huntington, and Judge Lorensen, of Charleston, Greear commended his cohorts on the work implemented in the development of the Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
“I want to thank [Judge Scarr and Judge Lorensen] for all the help that they’ve been, and we’ve just had tremendous camaraderie and companionship so far,” said Greear. “I look forward to working with my two fellow judges as we start this venture.”
Judge Greear was one of several present to express gratitude to the City of Beckley and to Raleigh County for permitting the establishment of the satellite courtroom for the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
“I wanted to emphasize how much we appreciate the cooperation of Raleigh County,” said Greear at roughly the midway point of the speaking portion of the ceremony.
“This is not something we wanted to force on any county. All these counties have been very excited about this and just easy to work with. We appreciate the cooperation of Raleigh County and we’re excited about having this here in the community,” Greear concluded in his introduction of Raleigh County Commission President Dave Tolliver.
Assuming the podium, Tolliver touched on the early stages of bringing the satellite courtroom to Raleigh County, declaring his reaction when approached about the idea to have been a resounding, “Absolutely!’ Because Beckley is the centerpoint of Southern West Virginia.’”
Following comments from some of the names in attendance and the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon itself, tours of the facility were conducted along with demonstrations of the groundbreaking technology which stands to revolutionize the manner in which legal matters are conducted throughout the great State of West Virginia for years to come.
“It was a privilege to participate as history was made today by cutting the ribbon for the first ever Intermediate Court of Appeals satellite courtroom in West Virginia, said Senator Rollan A. Roberts following the ceremony. “This first of three locations is in Raleigh County. The first hearings are scheduled for next month.”
Additional information on the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals can be found here.