§51-2A-3. Number of family court judges; assignment of family court judges by family court circuits.
(a) Beginning on the effective date of this subsection and until December 31, 2024, 47 family court judges shall serve throughout the state, allocated among a total of 27 family court circuits as follows:
(1) The counties of Brooke, Hancock, and Ohio shall constitute the first family court circuit and have two family court judges;
(2) The counties of Marshall, Wetzel, and Tyler shall constitute the second family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(3) The counties of Pleasants and Wood shall constitute the third family court circuit and have two family court judges;
(4) The counties of Roane, Calhoun, Gilmer, and Ritchie shall constitute the fourth family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(5) The counties of Mason, Jackson, and Wirt shall constitute the fifth family court circuit and have two family court judges;
(6) The county of Cabell shall constitute the sixth family court circuit and have three family court judges;
(7) The county of Wayne shall constitute the seventh family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(8) The county of Mingo shall constitute the eighth family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(9) The county of Logan shall constitute the ninth family court circuit and have two family court judges;
(10) The counties of Lincoln and Boone shall constitute the tenth family court circuit and have two family court judges;
(11) The county of Kanawha shall constitute the eleventh family court circuit and have five family court judges;
(12) The counties of McDowell and Mercer shall constitute the twelfth family court circuit and have three family court judges;
(13) The counties of Raleigh, Summers, and Wyoming shall constitute the thirteenth family court circuit and have three family court judges;
(14) The county of Fayette shall constitute the fourteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(15) The counties of Greenbrier and Monroe shall constitute the fifteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(16) The counties of Clay and Nicholas shall constitute the sixteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(17) The counties of Braxton, Lewis, and Upshur shall constitute the seventeenth family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(18) The counties of Harrison and Doddridge shall constitute the eighteenth family court circuit and have two family court judges;
(19) The county of Marion shall constitute the nineteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(20) The counties of Monongalia and Preston shall constitute the twentieth family court circuit and have two family court judges;
(21) The counties of Barbour and Taylor shall constitute the twenty-first family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(22) The counties of Tucker and Randolph shall constitute the twenty-second family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(23) The counties of Mineral, Hampshire and Morgan shall constitute the twenty-third family court circuit and have two family court judges;
(24) The counties of Berkeley and Jefferson shall constitute the twenty-fourth family court circuit and have three family court judges;
(25) The counties of Hardy, Pendleton, and Grant shall constitute the twenty-fifth family court circuit and have one family court judge;
(26) The county of Putnam shall constitute the twenty-sixth family court circuit and have one family court judge; and
(27) The counties of Webster and Pocahontas shall constitute the twenty-seventh family court circuit and have one family court judge.
(b) Effective January 1, 2025, 48 family court judges shall serve throughout the state, allocated among a total of 27 family court circuits as follows:
(1) The counties of Brooke, Hancock, and Ohio shall constitute the first family court circuit and have two family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(2) The counties of Marshall, Wetzel, and Tyler shall constitute the second family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(3) The counties of Pleasants and Wood shall constitute the third family court circuit and have two family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(4) The counties of Roane, Calhoun, Gilmer, and Ritchie shall constitute the fourth family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(5) The counties of Mason, Jackson, and Wirt shall constitute the fifth family court circuit and have two family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(6) The county of Cabell shall constitute the sixth family court circuit and have three family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(7) The county of Wayne shall constitute the seventh family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(8) The county of Mingo shall constitute the eighth family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(9) The county of Logan shall constitute the ninth family court circuit and have two family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(10) The counties of Lincoln and Boone shall constitute the tenth family court circuit and have two family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(11) The county of Kanawha shall constitute the eleventh family court circuit and have five family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(12) The counties of McDowell and Mercer shall constitute the twelfth family court circuit and have three family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(13) The counties of Raleigh, Summers, and Wyoming shall constitute the thirteenth family court circuit and have three family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(14) The county of Fayette shall constitute the fourteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(15) The counties of Greenbrier and Monroe shall constitute the fifteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(16) The counties of Clay and Nicholas shall constitute the sixteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(17) The counties of Lewis and Upshur shall constitute the seventeenth family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(18) The counties of Harrison and Doddridge shall constitute the eighteenth family court circuit and have two family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(19) The county of Marion shall constitute the nineteenth family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(20) The counties of Monongalia and Preston shall constitute the twentieth family court circuit and have two family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(21) The counties of Barbour and Taylor shall constitute the twenty-first family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(22) The counties of Tucker and Randolph shall constitute the twenty-second family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(23) The counties of Mineral, Hampshire, and Morgan shall constitute the twenty-third family court circuit and have two family court judges, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(24) The counties of Berkeley and Jefferson shall constitute the twenty-fourth family court circuit and have four family court judges with the additional family court judge to be elected at the regularly scheduled election held in 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(25) The counties of Hardy, Pendleton, and Grant shall constitute the twenty-fifth family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter;
(26) The county of Putnam shall constitute the twenty-sixth family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter; and
(27) The counties of Webster, Braxton, and Pocahontas shall constitute the twenty-seventh family court circuit and have one family court judge, who shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) to be held in the year 2024, and every eighth year thereafter.
(c) Family court judges taking office January 1, 2025, shall be elected at the regularly scheduled election(s) occurring in the year 2024, and shall serve for a term of eight years.
(d) The Legislature has the authority and may determine to realign the family court circuits and has the authority and may determine to increase or decrease the number of family court judges within a family court circuit, from time to time. Any person appointed or elected to the office of family court judge acknowledges the authority of the Legislature to realign family court circuits and the authority of the Legislature to increase or decrease the number of family court judges within a family court circuit.
