Kevin A. Stryker

Professional career

• The incumbent Ohio County Magisterial Judge – Division 1 in West Virginia, serving from 2024 through 2028, with over 40 years of legal experience and a background in public service
• Appointed to the seat in October 2022 by Ohio County Circuit Judge Michael Olejasz, succeeding retiring magistrate Charles Murphy
• Ohio County Magisterial Judge, Division 1, confirmed by directly read
• His legal career includes multiple roles as an attorney, and he has also held the role of a mental hygiene commissioner, which he cites as enhancing his court experience

Education

Additional information

• His current term runs through May 14, 2028.
• Nonpartisan judge and ran for re-election in the 2024 West Virginia primary to retain his seat.
• West Virginia University School of Law graduate and has practiced law in Ohio County for more than four decades.
• Originally from the Hudson River Valley in New York but moved to Wheeling, WV, after law school.
• Kevin A. Stryker holds the position of Ohio County Magisterial Judge – Division 1, a nonpartisan judicial role handling a range of cases in the county’s magistrate court.
• He has described his motivation for running as “to keep the position” and to continue the work he has been doing for nearly two years.
• In his public statements, Stryker emphasizes a problem-solving, rehabilitative approach in magistrate court, particularly in cases involving homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse.
• He has stated that the system has the resources to help these individuals but often fails to act, and that his role is to address these needs rather than impose punishment.