CHARLESTON, W.Va. — John C. Yoder, judge of the 23rd Judicial Circuit, died June 9.
Yoder practiced law in Harpers Ferry for 23 years and was of counsel to Burch & Cronauer P.C. in Washington, D.C. He served two terms as a Republican in the West Virginia Senate, in 1992 and 2004. He ran for the circuit court seat, which covers Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties, in 2008.
“I’m saddened by the loss of Circuit Judge John Yoder,” Chief Justice Allen H. Loughry II said in a statement. “He was a dedicated public servant who cared about our state. I was fortunate to get to know Judge Yoder well during the 2012 campaign. He will be missed.”
In his law practice, Yoder concentrated on complex civil litigation, constitutional law, civil RICO, appellate law, land use and employment discrimination.
Yoder, a Kansas native, graduated from Chapman University with a double-major in government in economics. He then earned his law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law and received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago. He studied economics under Milton Friedman during that time.