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PARKERSBURG – Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Jason Wharton has announced his candidacy for judge of the 4th Circuit, which encompasses Wood and Wirt counties.
Wharton filed his pre-candidacy papers with the West Virginia secretary of state on Tuesday. All three of the Fourth Circuit court judges’ seats are up for election next year.
Legislation passed in the 2015 legislative session requires election for judicial offices to be nonpartisan and by division, with the new terms of office to begin Jan. 1, 2017. The judicial offices up for the 2016 election will be justice of the Supreme Court, circuit court judges, family court judges and magistrate.
“I am excited about pursuing the opportunity to serve the citizens of Wood and Wirt counties as circuit judge,” Wharton said. “This is a position that I have always had an interest in and I am looking forward to taking this next step and continuing my career in public service. My time in the prosecutor’s office has afforded me the opportunity to gain a great deal of trial experience which will be beneficial as a judge.
“I believe that it is a natural transition going from prosecutor to judge. The goals of protecting the public and seeing that justice is done are the same. Being a prosecutor for 17 years, seven as the elected prosecutor and 10 as an assistant prosecutor representing the state in criminal matters and the county in civil matters has provided a broad range of experience that will be valuable to the position,” Wharton said.
Wharton was first elected Wood County prosecuting attorney in 2008 then ran unopposed and was re-elected in 2012. In addition to prosecuting cases in Wood County, Wharton has served as special prosecuting attorney in Wirt, Pleasants, Mason and Calhoun counties.
He served as an assistant Wood County prosecutor for 10 years prior to being elected prosecutor. While an assistant prosecutor he was cross-designated as a special assistant United States attorney in the Southern District of West Virginia. Before coming to the prosecutor’s office in 1999, Wharton worked in the law firm of Albright, Bradley and Ellison.
Wharton’s community service activities include being a board member of The Arc of the Mid-Ohio Valley and a board member and treasurer of the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley.
Wharton is a Parkersburg native and earned his undergraduate and law degrees from West Virginia University.
Wharton and his wife, Heidi Starn Wharton, have two children.
Judicial candidates do not have to declare which of the three circuit court divisions they intend to run for when filing pre-candidacy papers, but will have to declare once candidacy is filed in January.
Pre-candidacy filing for office can be done now. Judicial candidates need to file in the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office in Charleston. Once a candidate has filed pre-candidacy papers, the candidate may lawfully begin to accept contributions and make expenditures for the election.
The period to file certificates of announcements for the election will be Jan. 11-30, 2016.
The circuit court judges serve for eight-year terms. To be eligible to run for circuit judge, you must be at least 30 years old, have been a West Virginia resident for five years and must reside in the circuit while in office.
Candidates for circuit court judge must be a member in good standing with the West Virginia State Bar Association and have been admitted to practice law at least five years prior to election.