HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) — The Cabell County Family Court judges play a major role in family-related cases within the county.
There are three positions in Cabell County and one of them previously belonged to Jason Spears, who accepted the prosecuting attorney position earlier this year. So this means, that role must be filled.
There are two candidates on the primary ballot looking to fill that space, Sheronne Hornbuckle and Sarah Dixon.
13 News spoke with both candidates about their campaigns and why they feel they’re the right person for the job.
Sherrone Hornbuckle says she is the best fit because of her community connections and experience working with families in the county. This includes her current job within Cabell County Schools.
“For the past five years, I have been general council (for Cabell County Schools) and prior to that, I was Assistant Prosecuting Attorney where I dealt with juveniles and domestic violence victims. Where I developed my love for family law, was when I started out at Legal Aid for West Virginia. Legal Aid for West Virginia is for people that cannot afford an attorney,” Hornbuckle says speaking on her background.
Sarah Dixon says she also believes providing attorneys for families, no matter the financial background, is important, but she feels her experience as a family lawyer and being familiar with the family court process makes her the right candidate.
“I’ve been a family court lawyer for almost 12 years now and so I know the ins and outs of the family court. So, I think that all of that experience has really helped me prepare to be an effective, just, and fair family court judge,” Dixon says referring to her career as an attorney in Cabell County.
Both candidates have also placed domestic violence, abuse, and neglect cases as a top priority, but they’re also making sure their campaigns are built on compassion and understanding of all situations.
“I’m going to be helping them go through one of the most difficult times in their lives through either a divorce or custody battle. With the knowledge I have and the compassion I have for dealing with it myself as well as being an attorney… So I also know the law and how to apply the law to their different situations,” Hornbuckle says.
“I don’t think that I can make the decisions that are going to make everybody happy. The decisions are going to affect people in many different ways, but what I do pledge to the people in our community and the people of Cabell County is that everyone who comes into my courtroom will have their day in court, everyone will have the ability to tell me everything that they think I need to know,” Dixon says.
In the end, the voters will have the final say on who will be the next Cabell County Family Court Judge. Early voting has already started and in-person voting for the primary election will take place on May 14th, 2024.