Courts
Summers County Circuit Court
31st Judicial Circuit Comprised of Monroe and Summers Counties
The circuit courts are West Virginia’s only general jurisdiction trial courts of record. Circuit courts have jurisdiction over all civil cases at law over $2,500 with limited exceptions; all civil cases in equity; proceedings in habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, prohibition, and certiorari; and all felonies and misdemeanors. The circuit courts receive appeals from magistrate courts, municipal courts, and administrative agencies, excluding workers’ compensation appeals. The circuit courts also hear appeals of family court decisions unless both parties agree to appeal directly to the Supreme Court of Appeals. The circuit courts receive recommended orders from judicial officers who hear mental hygiene and juvenile matters. The Supreme Court of Appeals receives appeals of circuit court decisions.
West Virginia’s fifty-five counties are divided into thirty-one circuits with seventy circuit judges. A map of West Virginia’s judicial circuits can be found here. The circuits range in size from one with seven judges to nine with one judge. Although as few as one or as many as four counties comprise a circuit, each county has a courthouse where the circuit judge presides.
Circuit judges are elected in nonpartisan elections to eight-year terms. They must have practiced law for at least five years. The governor appoints circuit judges to fill vacancies. An appointee who wishes to remain in office must run in the next election.
Duties and Responsibilities
Circuit Clerks are elected for a period of six years and their duties, responsibilities, and compensation are set by statute. The Circuit Clerk is an officer within the judicial system and plays a pivotal role in that system. The clerk is an independently elected official with autonomy to establish procedures and policies necessary to carry out statutory responsibilities. The Circuit Clerk works under the supervision of the chief circuit judge and with all the entities and agencies that comprise the justice system. The Circuit Clerk is the official record keeper and fee officer for circuit court, family court, and the mental hygiene office.
The clerk’s duties are ministerial; that is, the duties are prescribed by statute, order, rule, or other directive. As the official record keeper, the circuit clerk is responsible for recording and maintaining all records filed in the office including, but not limited to, civil, criminal, divorce, child custody and neglect, and adult and appeals from magistrate court. The circuit clerk also prepares cases appealed to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals from the Circuit Court. The clerk is custodian of all computer records, pertaining to cases filed in the circuit and family courts and manages the court’s computerized case docketing system. The Circuit Clerk also serves as the jury administrator for the court and is responsible for the management of the petit and grand jury systems in the county. Jury selection is processed by a program with The Supreme Court which includes qualified West Virginia drivers licensee and voters registration. Under the direction of the court, the clerk creates the master list of prospective jurors, randomly select panels for attendance, qualifies and summons the jurors, participates in jury orientation, and monitor attendance and mileage for reimbursement purposes. The circuit clerk is required to provide jury panels for both the magistrate and circuit courts. The Circuit Clerk serves as the court’s statistician preparing monthly statistical reports which are submitted to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and other state agencies.
Contact Information
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Address: Summers County Courthouse, 120 Ballengee Street, Suite 107, Hinton, WV 25951
Employees
13th Family Court Circuit
Family court judges hear cases involving divorce; annulment; separate maintenance; paternity; grandparent visitation; issues involving allocation of parental responsibility; and family support proceedings, except those incidental to child abuse and neglect proceedings. Family court judges also hold final hearings in domestic violence civil proceedings.
There are forty-five family court judges in West Virginia who serve twenty-seven family court circuits. Family court judges, who were previously appointed by the governor, were elected in partisan elections for the first time in 2002. Their initial terms are for six years. Subsequent terms are for eight years. Beginning in 2016 all judicial elections are nonpartisan elections.
Contact Information
Address: Summers County Judicial Annex, 123 Temple Street, Hinton, WV 25951
Phone: (304) 256-6731
Phone: (304) 256-6731
Employees
Magistrate Office
Duties
There are 158 magistrates statewide, with at least two in every county and 10 in the largest county. Magistrates issue arrest and search warrants, hear misdemeanor cases, conduct preliminary examinations in felony cases, and hear civil cases with $5,000 or less in dispute. Magistrates also issue emergency protective orders in cases involving domestic violence. -- The circuit courts hear appeals of magistrate court cases. Magistrates run for four-year terms in partisan elections. They do not have to be lawyers. Circuit judges appoint magistrates to fill vacancies. An appointee who wishes to remain in office must run in the next election.
Contact Information
Address: Summers County Judicial Annex, 123 Temple Street, Hinton, WV 25951
Phone: (304) 256-6731 | Fax: (304) 466-4912
Phone: (304) 256-6731 | Fax: (304) 466-4912
Employees
Adult Drug Court
Contact Information
Address: 120 Ballengee Street, Suite 219, Hinton, WV 25951
Phone: (304) 466-8008 | Fax: (304) 466-7132
Employees
Day Report
Provide cost effective, evidence-based alternatives to incarceration for non-violent, moderate to high risk/high need clients while maintaining and enhancing public safety. To partner with all other outside agencies including, but not limited to, Drug Court, Family Resource Networks, Family Outreach Networks, Law Enforcement Agencies, Community-based Supervision Agencies such as Parole and Probation, Adult Education Agencies, and others to positively affect a decrease in the recidivism rates in the dual county region.
Contact Information
Address: 120 Ballengee Street, Suite 220, Hinton, WV 25951
Phone: (304) 309-5504 | Fax: (304) 309-5503
Phone: (304) 309-5504 | Fax: (304) 309-5503
Employees
Home Confinement
Provide cost effective, evidence-based alternatives to incarceration for non-violent, moderate to high risk/high need clients while maintaining and enhancing public safety. To partner with all other outside agencies including, but not limited to, Drug Court, Family Resource Networks, Family Outreach Networks, Law Enforcement Agencies, Community-based Supervision Agencies such as Parole and Probation, Adult Education Agencies, and others to positively affect a decrease in the recidivism rates in the dual county region.
Contact Information
Address: Home Confinement, 120 Ballengee Street, Suite 220, Hinton, WV 25951
Phone: (304) 309-5505 | Fax: (304) 309-5503
Employees
Probation Office
Provide cost effective, evidence-based alternatives to incarceration for non-violent, moderate to high risk/high need clients while maintaining and enhancing public safety. To partner with all other outside agencies including, but not limited to, Drug Court, Family Resource Networks, Family Outreach Networks, Law Enforcement Agencies, Community-based Supervision Agencies such as Parole and Probation, Adult Education Agencies, and others to positively affect a decrease in the recidivism rates in the dual county region.
Contact Information
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM
Address: Probation Department, PO Box 1058, Hinton, WV 25951
Phone: (304) 466-7109 | Fax: (304) 466-7132
Address: Probation Department, PO Box 1058, Hinton, WV 25951
Phone: (304) 466-7109 | Fax: (304) 466-7132
Employees