TWO COURT APPOINTEES LOSE ELECTIONS

Two justices appointed by Governor Patrick Morrisey to fill open seats on the West Virginia Supreme Court have lost their elections.  Thomas Ewing and Gerald Titus were both unseated.  An incumbent on the Intermediate Court of Appeals, Dan Greear, also lost his re-election bid.  The governor noted that both of his appointees were relatively unknown, which likely played a role in the results.   Bill Flanigan, a Wheeling lawyer and former House of Delegates member, won the seat formerly held by Justice Beth Walker, who retired last year.  That term runs through 2028.  H-L “Kirk” Kirkpatrick, a senior status judge with more than 30 years on the bench in Raleigh County, won the race for the seat formerly held by the late Justice Tim Armstead.  That term runs through 2032.