Your browser doesn't support audio playback.
Judge Tom Ewing, of Fayette County, will now serve as a member of the Supreme Court of Appeals, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Wednesday afternoon in a press conference.
Ewing was appointed to the 15th Circuit Court in Fayette County in 2018 and won two elections to the seat.
“I was motivated to pursue this appointment because I believed it was important for the state’s highest court to have the perspective of an experienced circuit judge,” Ewing said.
Justice Beth Walker resigned on June 27 after serving on the court for more than eight years. Ewing will fill her vacated spot until the next election, when he will be able to run to fill the remainder of the term. It expires Dec. 31, 2028.
“Judge Ewing has demonstrated that he is a man of integrity and that he approaches his role as a judge the right way,” Morrisey said. “His written orders and decisions reflect careful consideration of the issues he is asked to rule on and concern for the rule of law. And he has shown that he cares about West Virginia.”
Ewing was one of four candidates recommended by the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Committee.
“I am honored that Gov. Morrisey has appointed me as a justice on the Supreme Court of Appeals,” Ewing said. “I look forward to bringing my dedication to the rule of law and my seven years of experience as a circuit judge to our state’s highest appellate court.”
He has served as a commissioner on West Virginia’s Juvenile Justice Commission since 2019. He was recently recognized as a 2025 West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow and as a 2025 Champion of Children by Just for Kids, Inc.
He currently presides over the Fayette County Adult Treatment Court and started and presides over the Fayette County Family Treatment Court, the Fayette County Teen Court, and the Fayette County Truancy Diversion Program.
Ewing is a native of Fayette County, growing up in Hico and graduating from Midland Trail High School. He has bachelor’s degrees in education (2000) and history (2001) from Glenville State College and a 2004 law degree from West Virginia University (WVU), where he was executive research editor and associate editor of the West Virginia Law Review.
Ewing was an attorney with the law firm of Kay, Casto & Chaney, PLLC, from 2004 until his appointment to the bench in 2018 and was the managing member of its Fayetteville office from 2015 to 2018.
He is a current member of the West Virginia Judicial Association Executive Committee and is active in the association’s Education and Law Clerk Education Committees. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Midland Trail Community Center, Inc., and attends Grace Baptist Church in Fayetteville.
Prior to, and during, his time as judge, he has coached youth sports. He and his wife, Mindy, have four children and two grandchildren.