Alumna Beth Walker ’87 came within sixth-tenths of 1 percent — 6,951 votes — of being elected to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in 2008.
But in 2015, Walker decided she would run again for the upcoming May 10 election.
“You can’t just sit on the sidelines and watch, you need to contribute something,” Walker said. “And that’s of course what running for office is.”
Walker graduated from Hillsdale Summa Cum Laude, with a double major in English and Political Science, and a minor in History. Her parents also attended the College. She went on to law school at Ohio State University, from where she graduated in 1990, and has been practicing law in West Virginia ever since. Walker said that her Hillsdale education was ideal for entry to law school.
“Hillsdale was the perfect education for critical thinking, the ability to write, and the ability to think about things at a deeper level,” she said.
Walker works as a Legal employment lawyer for the West Virginia United Hospital System, which works with seven hospitals in the northern part of the state. Like her parents, Walker served on the Alumni Relations Board for two years as vice president. Director of Alumni Relations Grigor Hasted has known Walker for many years, even before she came to Hillsdale.
“I find her to be a dedicated, hardworking, and honorable person,” Hasted said. “She is bright, quick on the uptake, and fair-minded in all of her dealings.”
Hasted also said that Walker was dedicated to her position on the Alumni Board and went to great personal expense to attend meetings.
Walker is one of five other candidates running for the position of Supreme Court Justice. The justices hold the position for 12 years, with elections on a term cycle. Walker is running against incumbent Brent Benjamin, and, if elected, will begin her term on January 1, 2017.
Starting this year, the West Virginia Legislature switched to non-partisan elections. This means that elections are held earlier, on the primary. Walker believes that this switch to non-partisan elections is more fair and will help keep politics out of the judicial system.
“I was really concerned as a lawyer and as a person about the fairness in our courts and in the fact that judges put their personal beliefs or opinions above the law,” Walker said. “I don’t agree with that. I wanted to be someone who would follow the rule of law, and not legislate from the bench.”
Walker’s Campaign Manager, Joe Reidy, said that Walker is the only true conservative in the race, and that she is dedicated to just laws over personal politics.
“Beth is very skilled lawyer, much more so than she is a candidate,” Reidy said. “She believes strongly in the rule of law, which I can’t stress enough for this position, and for the West Virginia Supreme Court.”
“She is the kind of person Hillsdale College should be very proud of, even for her accomplishments already,” Hasted said.
“Ninety-three days til election,” Reidy said, “and still going strong.”
