Judge Phil Jordan has notified West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin that he plans to retire effective at midnight on December 31, 2015, after 17 years of service to the 21st Judicial Circuit, which includes Mineral, Grant and Tucker Counties.
“I hope to continue to serve the judicial system as a Senior Status Judge, a mediator and, perhaps, as an arbitrator”, Judge Jordan said in a letter to the Governor. Judge Jordan is a trained mediator.
Jordan says he’ll set aside some time for he and his wife of 31 years, Wilma, to travel more.
Governor Tomblin will appoint a successor to serve the final year of Judge Jordan’s term which ends December 31, 2016. Voters will choose among candidates to serve an eight year term beginning January 1, 2017. That election will be held May 3, 2016 and will be bi-partisan.
Judge Jordan received the second highest score out of 98 judges or judicial candidates in the most recent Judicial Evaluation Poll by the West Virginia State Bar. Attorneys who appear before each judge were asked in a confidential poll to assess each judge or candidate in the categories of decisiveness, integrity, moral courage, impartiality, promptness, diligence and legal ability. Judge Jordan rated a 3.9 with 4.0 being perfect.
During his 17 years on the bench, Judge Jordan has taken a special interest in cases involving children. He founded the first Juvenile Re-Entry Court in the country, which the U. S. Department of Justice selected as a national model.
Judge Jordan has served on the faculty of the National Conference on Juvenile Justice and was the first judicial official to receive the Champion For Children Award presented by the West Virginia Child Care Association.
In 2014, Judge Jordan was chosen to serve as a Special Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court in the highly sensitive case of Blessing vs. Benjamin. Defendants included the Chief Justice and the Executive Director of the West Virginia State Bar.
Before taking the bench, Judge Jordan served as Prosecuting Attorney of Mineral County, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Hampshire County and as a defense attorney. He is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar and the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society.
Judge Jordan is a former journalist and served as Press Secretary for Congressman Harley O. Staggers, Sr. from 1971 through 1980. His law degree is from Catholic University and he is a graduate of West Virginia University, Potomac State College and Keyser High School.
