--- title: "Maryclaire Akers | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maryclaire-akers-wv-circuit-kanawha" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Maryclaire Akers West Virginia Circuit Court, Kanawha County · Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: West Virginia Circuit Court, Kanawha County - State: West Virginia - Role: Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-27 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Appointed by Governor Jim Justice on March 6, 2021, to complete the term of the late Judge Charles King, Jr., and was elected in May 2022 to finish the term - Direct official appointment notice dated March 3, 2021: Governor Jim Justice appointed Maryclaire Akers of Charleston to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Kanawha County, replacing the late Charles E. King Jr - The West Virginia Judiciary lists her as the presiding judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit (Kanawha County) - Prior roles: Kanawha prosecutor office chief of staff and senior assistant prosecutor, Special Assistant United States Attorney, West Virginia Ethics Commission general counsel, assistant attorney general ### Education ### Additional information - On September 29, 2026, Judge Akers approved a $4.4 million settlement between the State of West Virginia and five children who were abused by their former adoptive parents, Jeanne Whitefeather and Donald Lantz. - Running again in the 2024 judicial election. - She graduated WVU School of Journalism in 1995 and WVU College of Law in 1999 - Attorney Dante DiTrapano - representing the children, said the settlement would help them “reclaim parts of their childhood”. - The children, aged 6–16 at the time, were forced into labor and abused while living with the parents in Sissonville. - Whitefeather and Lantz received over 350 combined years in prison for their roles in the abuse. - George Washington High School alumna. - Before becoming a judge, Akers spent most of the past 20 years as a Kanawha County Assistant Prosecutor focusing on serious crimes, and held the role of General Counsel for the West Virginia Ethics Commission and Assistant Attorney General. - She has tried numerous felony cases, including murder, robbery, sexual assault, and other violent crimes, and has worked on high‐profile cases such as the “Kanawha County Sniper” and the Park Place Bar shutdown. - The lawsuit also alleged that the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services failed to protect the children despite multiple reports. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### camera and audio equipment Scope: statewide West Virginia Trial Court Rule 8 makes courtroom camera and audio equipment subject to the presiding circuit judge's or magistrate's permission. Evidence excerpt: Cameras and audio equipment may be permitted in and around the courtrooms at the discretion of each presiding circuit judge or magistrate. [West Virginia Trial Court Rules, Rule 8: Media Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://www.courtswv.gov/legal-community/court-rules/wv-trial-court-rules-contents) Source checked: 2026-07-27 ### advance media request timing Scope: statewide West Virginia Trial Court Rule 8 directs the presiding officer to decide requests for camera or audio coverage made at least one day before the proceeding, and lack of advance approval may preclude use. Evidence excerpt: Requests made by a party or any other person at least one day in advance of the proceedings. [West Virginia Trial Court Rules, Rule 8: Media Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://www.courtswv.gov/legal-community/court-rules/wv-trial-court-rules-contents) Source checked: 2026-07-27 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/circuit-judges/maryclaireAkers) - [Official roster](https://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/circuit-judges/maryclaireAkers) - [West Virginia Judiciary official judicial roster](https://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/circuit-judges/maryclaireAkers) - [West Virginia Trial Court Rules, Rule 8: Media Coverage of Court Proceedings](https://www.courtswv.gov/legal-community/court-rules/wv-trial-court-rules-contents) - [West Virginia Judiciary Kanawha County directory](https://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/kanawha_county) - [governorjustice.wv.gov](https://governorjustice.wv.gov/News/press-releases/2021/Pages/Gov.-Justice-appoints-Maryclaire-Akers-as-judge-for-Thirteenth-Judicial-Circuit-serving-Kanawha-County.aspx) - [maryclaireakers.com](https://maryclaireakers.com/) - [wvexecutive.com](https://wvexecutive.com/maryclaire-atkins-akers/) - [www.linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryclaireakers) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maryclaire-akers-wv-circuit-kanawha", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/maryclaire-akers-wv-circuit-kanawha", "name": "Maryclaire Akers | KnowJudges", "description": "Maryclaire Akers, West Virginia Circuit Court, Kanawha County. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.courtswv.gov/legal-community/court-rules/wv-trial-court-rules-contents). Collected 2026-07-27.