John Thomas Copenhaver Jr.

John Thomas Copenhaver, Jr. (born September 29, 1925) is a United States federal judge.

Biography

Copenhaver was born in Charleston, West Virginia. He received an A.B. from West Virginia University in 1947 and an LL.B. from West Virginia University College of Law in 1950. He was in the United States Army from 1944 to 1946, and became a law clerk to the Hon. Ben Moore of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia from 1950 to 1951. He was in private practice in Charleston, West Virginia from 1951 to 1958, and a referee in bankruptcy, Southern District of West Virginia from 1958 to 1973.

Copenhaver was both an adjunct professor at the West Virginia University College of Law and a faculty member of the Federal Judicial Center from 1970 to 1976, and a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge at the Southern District of West Virginia from 1973 to 1976. He was nominated by President Gerald Ford on August 26, 1976 to be a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, a seat vacated by Kenneth K. Hall. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 1, 1976, and received his commission two days later.

Sources

• John Thomas Copenhaver Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Political Graveyard

Legal offices
Preceded by Kenneth Keller Hall	Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia 1976–present	Incumbent