CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Justice H. L. Kirkpatrick will be publicly sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia during a formal investiture ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 31, in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the state Capitol.

Justice Kirkpatrick was elected to the Supreme Court on May 12 to serve out the unexpired six-year term of the late Justice Tim Armstead. He was initially sworn into office during a small, private ceremony on June 12 in order to begin performing his official duties with the Court.

While open to the public, seating for Monday’s formal investiture ceremony will be limited. Media is encouraged to attend and will be accommodated with space in the courtroom, as regular Court rules concerning coverage of Supreme Court proceedings will not apply to this special event.

The event will also be broadcast live on the Supreme Court’s YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@wvsupremecourt. 

Justice Kirkpatrick was born in Beckley and raised in Fayette and Raleigh counties. He attended Nuttall High School for two years and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Kentucky and law degree from the West Virginia University College of Law. 

He started the practice of law in Pineville, Wyoming County, in 1976, with the law firm of Bailey, Worrell and Viers. He operated Kirkpatrick Law Offices from 1979 until 1985, when he joined the Beckley law firm of Ashworth and Ashworth, which became Ashworth and Kirkpatrick. 

Justice Kirkpatrick was appointed Circuit Judge of Raleigh County on September 28, 1995, and was re-elected to the office four times. He retired from the Raleigh County bench on December 31, 2024, and was granted Senior Judge Status on January 1, 2025. As Senior Status Judge, he presided over a highly publicized murder trial in Beckley and served as Special Judge of Circuit Court of Fayette County for four months. 

He is a Member Emeritus of the Judicial Conference of the Fourth Circuit and a West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow. He chaired the southern Fatality Review Team for 10 years and served as a member of the Judicial Investigation Commission for 16 years. He was recognized by the West Virginia State Bar in 2026 for 50 years of distinguished service to the legal profession. 

Justice Kirkpatrick and his wife, Becky, live in Beckley, and have twin sons and two grandchildren.

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