Morrisey appoints six to judicial vacancy commission

CHARLESTON – West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey has appointed six people state Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission.

The JVAC is made up of four attorneys and four non-attorneys. It assists the governor in filling state judicial vacancies. The commission reviews applicants for vacancies on everything from the state Supreme Court to magistrate courts. It interviews candidates and submits a list of top candidates to the governor’s office for consideration, but the governor isn’t required to follow the JVAC’s recommendations.

On June 3, Morrisey announced the appointment of three attorneys and three non-attorneys. All are for terms that end June 30, 2031.

The attorneys were selected from a list provided by the West Virginia State Bar. They are:

• Michael P. Donnelly of Charles Town is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for Club for Growth and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Regent University.

• D. Luke Furbee of Middlebourne is the Tyler County Prosecuting Attorney and a past member of the Board of Governors of the West Virginia State Bar.

• Marc E. Williams of Huntington is the managing partner of the West Virginia office of Nelson Mullins, handling complex cases nationally in an array of litigation areas. He has had first-chair responsibility for more than 100 jury trials and appeals in his career.

The non-attorneys are:

• Jeff Lyon of Pipestem is a native and longtime resident of Summers County. He worked in the construction and appliance repairs business, including owning a major appliance repair business for 21 years. Lyon also served as the chairman of the Republican Executive Committee from 2016-2023.

• Jason Huffman of Charleston serves as the Americans for Prosperity-West Virginia state director, which vigorously supported Morrisey’s gubernatorial campaign. Previously, Huffman was Operations Director for the West Virginia Republican Party and a policy analyst for the West Virginia State Senate.

• Gwyneth M. Capehart of Winfield is a senior honor student at Marshall University with plans to obtain a doctorate in occupational therapy. She is the daughter of Curtis Capehart, Morrisey’s director of policy.

No more than four members of the JVAC can be from the same political party, and no more than three appointed members of the commission can be residents of the same congressional district.