West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Evan Jenkins announced his resignation this afternoon.
Jenkins told Gov. Jim Justice in a letter Friday that he’s stepping down from the court as of Sunday. Jenkins told the governor he’s returning to private practice.
Justice appointed Jenkins to the Court in 2018, and he was elected to a full term that expires in 2024.
The Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission will fill the vacancy, and voters will have the chance to elect a new justice.
Jenkins was previously a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia and also served in both the state Senate and House of Delegates.
Jenkins, of Huntington, was West Virginia’s chief justice in 2021.
Before his appointment to the court in 2018, Jenkins ran in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey beat Jenkins and former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship.