Fayette County Judge named to State Supreme Court of Appeals
By Matthew Young, RealWV
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Governor Patrick Morrisey, on Wednesday, announced the appointment of Fayette County Circuit Judge Thomas H. Ewing to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
“I am honored that Governor Morrisey has appointed me as a justice on the Supreme Court of Appeals,” Ewing said in a press release. “I look forward to bringing my dedication to the rule of law and my seven years of experience as a circuit judge to our State’s highest appellate court.”
Initially appointed in 2018 to his position on the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, the 47-year-old Ewing was elected and re-elected to the bench in 2020 and 2024, respectively. Ewing, who now succeeds the retiring Justice Beth Walker, was selected by Morrisey from a pool of four candidates recommended by the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Committee. The other three candidates were Raleigh County’s Todd Kirby, attorney Shawn Morgan, and Dan Grear from the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
As circuit judge, Ewing established the Fayette County Family Treatment Court, and currently presides over both it, and its Adult counterpart. Ewing also presides over the county’s Teen Court program, as well as its Truancy Division. He has served as a commissioner on West Virginia’s Juvenile Justice Commission since 2019. He was recently recognized as a 2025 West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow and as a 2025 Champion of Children by Just for Kids, Inc.
“Judge Ewing has served by temporary assignment in six different cases at the Supreme Court of Appeals, so he already comes to this position with valuable experience on the State’s high court,” Morrisey noted in the release.
Ewing will serve the remainder of Walker’s unexpired term, which is set to expire Dec. 31, 2028.
Ewing’s appointment was far from the only such announcement made by the governor’s office this week, as a Tuesday afternoon press release announced Morrisey’s appointment of 17 other individuals into various positions within his administration.
Of the higher-profile names announced on Tuesday, former House Delegate Kayla Kessinger has been named to the State Ethics Commission, and Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby has been named the newest board member of the West Virginia State Fair Advisory Council. In addition, Westside High School Principal Allison Kate Endicott has been named to the Southern West Virginia CTC Board of Governors.
Other appointments include:
- Christine Davies, Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Workforce Participation, Dept. of Commerce.
- Chris Morris, Data Economy Liaison/Director of the Data Economy Office, Dept. of Commerce.
- Todd Hooker, Acting Director of the Division of Economic Development, Dept. of Commerce.
- Michael Higgs, Government Transformation Officer, Governor’s Office
- Alan Vester, Deputy General Counsel & Legislative Advisor, Governor’s Office
- Grace Bannister, Governor’s Washington, D.C. Representative, Governor’s Office
- George Seiler DVM, West Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine
- Conrad Lucas
- Robert “Trey” Louis Holland, III, West Virginia State Fair Advisory Council Board
- Nathaneal Mason, West Virginia State Fair Advisory Council Board
- Rebecca Harless, West Virginia State Fair Advisory Council Board
- Mike Kidd, West Virginia State Fair Advisory Council Board
- Mike Stentz, West Virginia State Fair Advisory Council Board
The final appointment announced on Tuesday, also to the West Virginia State Fair Advisory Board, was that of Kara Dilley Dense, president and CEO of Experience Greenbrier Valley (formerly the Greenbrier Valley CVB). An honors graduate of Concord University with nearly three decades of experience in travel and tourism, Dense has received statewide recognition and accolades for her work to boost visitor spending and community engagement in the Greenbrier Valley, where the State Fair is held each year.
