Associated Press Published

Former Democratic Lawmaker Running for State Supreme Court

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Former Democratic state legislator Bill Wooton of Raleigh County says he’s running for the West Virginia Supreme Court.

Incumbent Justice Brent Benjamin and Beth Walker also are running for the seat in next year’s election. Judicial elections in the state are now nonpartisan, but Benjamin and Walker have both run as Republicans in the past.

Media outlets report that Wooton announced his candidacy Thursday. He served in the state Senate in the 1990s and chaired the powerful Judiciary Committee. Before that, Wooton had two stints in the House of Delegates covering more than 20 years, including a stretch as House majority leader.

He is now in private law practice in Beckley.