Judge Hilary M. Bright was elected to the bench in the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit (Preston and Tucker Counties) and took office on January 1, 2025. 
 
Judge Bright was raised in Terra Alta, West Virginia and graduated from Preston High School in 2007. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Alderson Broaddus College in 2011 and a law degree from West Virginia University College of Law in 2014. 
 
She practiced law at McNeer, Highland, McMunn and Varner, LC, in Kingwood from 2014 to March of 2019 practicing civil litigation, domestic relations, estate planning and handling real estate transactions. In March of 2019, Judge Bright opened her own law firm, The Bright Law Firm, PLLC, in Kingwood, where she expanded her areas of practice to include abuse and neglect cases. Judge Bright also served as a Mental Hygiene Commissioner for Preston County (2019 – 2024). 
 
Judge Bright is an active alum of the running programs at Preston High School and coached the track and field teams in 2018 and 2019. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Kingwood, and an avid supporter of the youth agricultural programs in her area. Judge Bright also served as the District 15 representative for the Young Lawyers’ Section of the West Virginia State Bar (2018-2022).

She and her husband, Matthew, reside in Preston County with their two children.