Justice appoints Beckley attorney to open House of Delegates seat

The renovated House Chambers in the West Virginia Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., in Dec. 2023. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography)

Raleigh County attorney Carl “Bill” Roop, who was already running for a position in the House of Delegates, was appointed by Gov. Jim Justice on Tuesday to fill the seat vacated earlier this month by Todd Kirby.

Kirby, a Republican, was elected to the House in 2022 and resigned from the position in early July when Justice appointed him as a circuit court judge in Raleigh County. Roop will serve the remainder of Kirby’s term, which ends in January.

Roop is already campaigning for Kirby’s former seat. Following an uncontested Republican primary in May, he is set to face off against Democratic candidate Tony Martin in November’s general election. Martin previously lost the race for that same seat against Kirby in 2022, according to election results. No campaign page or website detailing political stances could be found for Roop.

According to local media reports, Roop has served as an attorney for Raleigh County while also running his own private practice. His father served in the West Virginia Legislature when Roop was growing up.

Roop told WVVA in 2023 when he launched his campaign that, were he to serve in the Legislature, his priorities would be growing small businesses in the state, improving the education system and addressing the state’s ongoing drug and overdose epidemic.

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