West Virginia Supreme Court mourns death of Judge Robert J. Staker

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Supreme Court mourns the death of retired U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Staker, who died Sunday, November 30, 2008, in a Huntington nursing care facility. The judge, who was 83 when he died, was a former Mingo County Circuit Judge.

Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard said, "Bob Staker has been my good friend for more than fifty years, and I will miss him deeply. He was a judge’s judge, and one of the finest human beings I ever knew. The Bench and the Bar have lost a giant."

Justice Thomas McHugh said, "I was a circuit judge at the same time as Judge Staker. He was greatly admired by his fellow judges. He served our state and our country in an exemplary manner. I have very fond memories of him."

Justice Robin Jean Davis said, "As a judge, his service at every level was exemplary. Important for us who are younger on the bench, he was an extraordinary mentor. He will surely be missed."

Justice Brent Benjamin said, "Judge Staker was a gentleman, a fine judge, and a legal scholar. He possessed a kind and gentle manner on the bench, but was never afraid to make tough decisions when necessary. He will be missed."

Chief Justice Maynard commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of Law Day on May 1 by presenting the 2008 Liberty Bell Award to Judge Staker during the West Virginia Bar Association’s Past Presidents’ Dinner. The Liberty Bell Award is commissioned each year by the American Bar Association. It honors a person who promotes better understanding of the rule of law, encourages a greater respect for law and the courts, stimulates a sense of civic responsibility, and contributes to good government in the community.

Born in Kermit, Mingo County, on February 14, in 1925, Judge Staker served in the U.S. Navy as a radioman between 1943 and 1946. He attended Marshall University and West Virginia University and earned his law degree from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1952.

Judge Staker had his own private law practice for more than a decade. He then served Mingo County first as a prosecutor and then on the circuit bench from January 1, 1969, to September 22, 1979, when he was appointed by then-President Jimmy Carter to the federal bench in the Southern District of West Virginia. He served as a Senior United States District Judge from 1995 until his retirement in 2005.

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