And I knew you knew about the Feds - please don't be offended. You can and I'm sure will be very informed on your state judges (BTW, I love WVA, the Harper's Ferry area is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen) - but a lot of very cool people turn into monsters once they put on that black robe, and the system of course encourages it. But the groovy thing about state is there's always another election and chance to throw them out, and it's also easier to get them removed (misconduct, special election.)
You know, I'm orig. from Tenn. but I too love WV. It is the most beautiful/wild state in the Mid-Atlantic region. I do a lot of volunteer work for the tourism industry in our county. You and I have something in common. We both chose a second career later in life (in my case, real late in life). I had a hard time getting through a liberal seminary after living so many years in the "real" world. I managed to be a good parrot and made it with good grades.