From the construction site to the courtroom, Brandon Gray seeks to be Circuit Judge
By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV
“I want to do something that means something.”
That’s what Brandon Gray says about his campaign to become judge in the 15th Circuit Court, Fayette County, where he is competing against four other candidates after Tom Ewing was appointed to the Supreme Court.
It’s not something Gray would have necessarily ever envisioned himself doing. His life has unfolded in surprising directions.
After growing up in East Kingston, Gray says he entered the construction business right out of high school, quickly rising to be a superintendent.
“I always had a knack for construction. Got to travel and build things, and I was home every weekend. I’ve always been a resident of Fayette County.”
He got married, had a child, and joined the local carpenter’s union so he wouldn’t have to travel during the week.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.”
Gray was granted custody of his daughter, and that experience combined with a lunchtime conversation one job on the jobsite changed the trajectory of his life.
“I was at work one day eating lunch, sitting on a 5 gallon bucket, listening to guys talk about some of the things they were gonna do when they retired. It made me sick to my stomach. I realized they’d spent their whole life doing that work and it destroyed their body. That was going to be me.”
He never went back to work that day. When lunch ended, he gathered his things and drove to Mountain State University in Beckley. “I told them I wanted to be a lawyer. They signed me up, and six years later I had my bachelors, masters, and law degrees. I commuted the last three years five hours a day to Grundy, Virginia (Appalachian College of Law).”
He was the first member of his family to get a degree in higher education. “It felt unreachable, but I decided that day that I could do it.”
Gray has been in private practice ever since, arguing cases of all types across southern West Virginia including mental hygiene proceedings, administrative appeals, domestic violence petitions and appeals, magistrate court appeals, land disputes, criminal law, abuse and neglect, domestic law, custody cases, probate cases, contested wills, guardianships for infants and adults, conservatorships, adoptions, and contested adoptions. “
“What sets me apart from everyone else running, people have come in and meet with me and felt comfortable enough to hire me to represent them. That speaks volumes.”
This would be Gray’s first public service position. He says it’s something that time has brought him to.
“This is going to sound cliche but it’s the honest to God truth. I’ll be 50 years old this year. I set and look at things over my life, and to be honest, everything I’ve done in my life has been self-serving. I was a superintendent because I was going to make more money. I became a lawyer to save my body. I’ve made good money…but I think Fayette County needs me.”
Gray says he can be a judge “everyone relates to.” He says many of his clients over the years felt like they never had a chance when they stepped in the courtroom because the judge had already made up his/her mind. “That bothers me. I want to do something that means something.”
What kind of courtroom could citizens expect if Gray is elected?
“I want people to understand that with me they’ll be no favors, no peaking under the blindfold. I can guarantee everyone that if I’m elected I will follow the law. The only loyalty I have is to the constitution and the people.”
Gray is supportive of the special courts instituted during Justice Ewing’s term and would continue them. He would also like to add a veteran’s court in Fayette County.
“We send our men and women to these foreign lands to fight wars and a lot of them come home with PTSD, injured, dependent on painkillers or substances, and they get to the point the VA cuts them off. It ends up putting them in a situation they get in trouble with the law or domestically. What veteran’s court does is it puts them in a position where they can get back on their feet. They get a second chance. Their charges are dismissed and they get to start over. I think we owe them that.”
Gray is running for Circuit Court in District 15 which serves Fayette County. His opponents include Judge Sam Fox, Evan Dove, Larry Harrah, and Wes Toney. Voters will choose a judge in the primary election this May. All other candidates have been invited to be featured in a similar profile.
