BILL FLANIGAN

WHEELING — West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Justice-elect Bill Flanigan expects he will temporarily be living out of a hotel room in Charleston very soon.

Flanigan on Tuesday was elected to an unexpired two-year term on the court, setting forth what will be a whirlwind of activity in the coming days.

Wednesday morning, he was contacted by Chief Justice Haley Bunn. She informed him he will be sworn onto the court the day Gov. Patrick Morrisey certifies the results of the state’s 2026 primary election, or the day after.

In the interim, Flanigan remains a member of the House of Delegates representing District 4 through the end of the year. He will need to resign from office before taking his seat on the court.

Typical procedure would be that the Ohio County Republican Party Executive Committee next will seek applications for the District 4 delegate seat, then meet to consider candidates and choose three names to Morrisey for consideration for appointment.

“I hope they put in the guy who just won the primary, and a couple of others,” Flanigan said.

Derek Ennis was the winner of the GOP nomination for the District 4 House of Delegates seat on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Flanigan is going to have to find a place to live while in Charleston — and he might even need a new vehicle.

Flanigan plans to commute from Wheeling to Charleston for work and maintain residences in both cities.

“My son (Liam) doesn’t want to leave Wheeling, his school and his friends,” he said. “And my wife (Melissa) likes her job here.”

Liam, who has been a student at Wheeling Country Day School, will begin his academic career at Wheeling Park High School in the fall.

Melissa, meanwhile, is an anesthesiologist at WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital.

“I’m going to have two houses and be commuting back and forth,” he said. “Now I have to go to Charleston as soon as the vote is canvassed and certified, and I’m going to have to find a place to live.

“I might be in a hotel for a while.”

Flanigan said his recent campaign was a positive experience.

“It has been amazing,” he said. “It was a lot of hard work, but I got to meet a lot of great people. I will be right into it and reviewing cases soon, and reviewing decisions.

“I will be going out and meeting as many people as I could possibly meet — nonpartisan people, many people on both sides of the aisle … I’m interested in doing that.”

Flanigan added that even in the legislature he felt he had to represent everyone.

“I feel like I’ve always been fair,” he said. “I’ve learned people like to be heard. They want to be heard.”