Titus To Fill Vacant Supreme Court Seat

Charleston attorney Gerald Titus will now serve the state as a member of the Supreme Court of Appeals. His appointment was announced by Gov. Patrick Morrisey Friday.

Titus served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia from 2007 to 2009. He has since worked at the Spilman Thomas & Battle law firm.

Titus said he is conscious of the court’s critical role in the state’s legal system and is preparing accordingly.

“I am committed to the rule of law and applying the law as it is written,” he said. “I believe it’s critical that the court remain impartial and ensure fairness for all parties.”

Titus fills the vacated spot of the late Justice Tim Armstead, who died in August after serving the court for almost seven years. He said despite the honor, he wished he was not taking Armstead’s seat on the bench.

“Our presence here is occasioned by the tragic loss of our state’s distinguished justice Tim Armstead,” Titus said. “His presence on the court cannot be replaced. I would not presume to even try, but I do pledge to do my best to serve with the same utmost dedication, integrity and humility with which he served. He provided an example to which all judges should aspire. I will forever be mindful of that.”

Titus will hold this seat until next year’s election. At that time, he will be able to run to fill the remainder of the seat which expires Dec. 31. 2032.

This is Morrisey’s second appointment to the state’s highest court. The first was the appointment of Tom Ewing in August to serve out the term of Justice Beth Walker, who resigned on June 27 after serving on the court for more than eight years.

Morrisey selected Titus from a shortlist of four candidates selected by the the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission from a pool of 12 applicants. He said the decision to choose Titus was not easy in a well-qualified group of candidates, but that he stood out for his breadth of experience in both the public and private sectors.

“I just think that he’s going to be very thorough in terms of how he approaches issues, and he’s going to be fair,” Morrisey said. “I thought that he was going to be someone who was going to really adhere to the rule of law and approach all these issues with humility and integrity, and that’s what excited me about him. And I have nothing but great things to say about all the other applicants as well.”