Menis Ketchum

Menis Ketchum
Ketchum in September 2008
Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2009
Preceded by	Spike Maynard
Personal details
Born	1943 Wayne County, West Virginia, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Judy Varnum
Alma mater	Ohio University West Virginia University College of Law

Menis E. Ketchum II (born 1943 in Wayne County, West Virginia) is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. He was elected as a Democrat to a twelve-year term on the Court in November 2008 and served as Chief Justice in 2012 and was reelected to a term as Chief Justice in 2016. In West Virginia, the status of Chief Justice, by tradition, rotates between the justices annually and is mainly an administrative post.

Ketchum was born and raised in Wayne County, West Virginia, the son of attorney Chad Ketchum (1911–98). A graduate of a West Virginia public school, Mr. Ketchum attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio from 1960-64. He played varsity baseball while at OU and was a member of the 1964 Mid-American Conference Championship Baseball Team. Upon returning to West Virginia, he enrolled at the West Virginia University School of Law in Morgantown. From 1965-66, he was contributing writer of the West Virginia Law Review and was Associate Editor from 1966-67. In 1967, he obtained his Juris Doctorate.

Ketchum returned to Huntington, West Virginia to practice law with his father in the law firm of Greene, Ketchum & Baker in 1967. For the past 40 years, Ketchum has litigated various types of cases, including insurance defense, personal injury, criminal prosecution and defense, Maritime, Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA). He practices law with Greene, Ketchum, Bailey & Tweel and has been senior partner since 1980. According to Ketchum, he has tried more than 170 cases to jury verdict and prosecuted more than 30 reported Supreme Court of Appeals cases.

Recognized continuously since 1989 in The Best Lawyers in America magazine, Mr. Ketchum was formerly a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Throughout his legal career, he has published legal articles and presented numerous continuing legal education seminars to bar associations, adjustor associations and legal assistant associations.