Menis Ketchum

Menis E. Ketchum (born 1943, Wayne County, West Virginia) is a West Virginia attorney and 2008 Democratic State Supreme Court candidate.

Ketchum was born and raised in Wayne County, West Virginia, the son of attorney Chad Ketchum (1911-98). A product of West Virginia public schools, 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.

He then 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, Menis has litigated various types of cases, including insurance defense, personal injury, criminal prosecution and defense, Maritime, Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA). He continues to practice law today 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 state Supreme Court 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.

Mr. Ketchum was appointed to the Marshall University Board of Governors by then-Governor Bob Wise (D) in 2002. He resigned on January 2, 2008 in order to campaign for a seat on the State Supreme Court. He was serving as Vice Chairman when he left the university's governing body.

Other Gubernatorial appointments include the State Mine Safety Task Force as Legal Counsel by Governor Joe Manchin (D).

He also served the City of Huntington as a member of the Urban Renewal Authority. He participated in the Vision Shared Health Care Team, a statewide program to develop a focus team toward reducing the medically uninsured in the state of West Virginia.

Married to the former Judy Varnum since 1966, the couple has three children and six grandchildren. Their son Bert is also a partner in his father's law firm.

Four Democrats filed for two seats on the State Supreme Court for the 2008 elections. In addition to Menis Ketchum, they are former State Supreme Court Justice Margaret Workman, the first woman to serve on the state's high court, WVU law professor and ballot access advocate Bob Bastress, and incumbent Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard, currently the Chief Justice.

In the May 13, 2008 Democratic Primary, Ketchum and former Justice Margaret Workman captured their party's nomination for the two seats up for election. They will face off against lone GOP nominee Beth Walker, a Charleston attorney.