FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY-TV) – With the oath taken and the zip of a robe, Fayette County has a new 15th Judicial Circuit Division 1 judge.
Tom K. Fast, former delegate in the West Virginia House of Representatives, has been officially sworn into the position. He says he wants to be fair and respect all who come before him.
“As the scripture say, with the lord, there is no impartiality, favoritism,” said Thomas Kirk Fast, 15th Judicial Circuit-Division 1 judge. “And that’s what I want to be as a judge, to be impartial, to be unbiased, and to do my best to be fair to whomever is before me.”
He replaces the former sitting judge Paul Blake who has decided to retire. While Fast has around 31 years of experience as a general practice attorney, he says he will continue to learn more with this experience.
“I realize there’s many things that I don’t know yet because I’ve never been the judge,” explained Fast. “I will learn those on the job, and I have access to retiring judge Blake. I have access to my fellow Fayette County judge Thomas Ewing, and also have a mentor, Bob Richardson, in Greenbrier County, who’s a circuit judge. So I have many judges surrounding me that I can ask questions as issues come up”
The Fayette County Courthouse was full of people who came to see the ceremony and he was grateful to all who came.
Fast will join current sitting judge Thomas Ewing when his term officially begins. His term will start on January 1st, 2025, and end on December 31st, 2032.
