Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin appointed Brenton, W.Va., resident Sue Cline to fill the vacancy left in the West Virginia Senate after Daniel Hall’s resignation.
Cline’s appointment comes after a decision from the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Friday ordering Tomblin to appoint a Republican to the seat.
A Republican, Hall resigned from the Senate in January, but because he switched party affiliations in 2014, the West Virginia Democratic Party questioned the appointment. Democrats argued a member of their party should be appointed to the seat because Hall was a Democrat at the time of his election to office.
Cline is a realtor in the Beckley area and served as the vice president of the Pineville Area Chamber of Commerce. She has also been a member of the Wyoming County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Cline will likely take her oath of office Monday.