The People’ s Lawyer
West Virginia’ s Attorney General
Written by Samantha Cart
O ftentimes as American citizens and voters, we get caught up in the fervor and fanfare national elections illicit while neglecting the meaningful and significant impact local and state elections have on our daily lives. There are 148 state-level elected officials in West Virginia among its executive branch, legislature and congressional representatives, and that number does not include the thousands of local officials across the state’ s 55 counties.
Among the state’ s executive branch is the attorney general, who serves as the chief legal officer for West Virginia. Sometimes referred to as The People’ s Lawyer, the attorney general represents the state in both state and federal court, provides legal counsel to government agencies, offers written opinions addressing questions of law, advocates for the rights of West Virginia’ s citizens and enforces and defends laws pertaining to consumer protection, unfair trade practices and civil rights, among others.
In 2025, JB McCuskey was sworn in as the state’ s 35th attorney general.
Photo by Tracy A. Toler Photography.
A strong educational and professional background coupled with a history of service laid a strong foundation for his eventual role as attorney general. A native of Harrison County, WV, McCuskey holds a bachelor’ s degree in political communication from George Washington University and a Juris Doctorate from West Virginia University College of Law.
After undergrad, he worked as a civilian for the U. S. Department of Defense at the Pentagon in the offices of the Army and Department of Defense general counsels and for the American Center for Law and Justice.
“ It was an incredible experience to work in D. C. as a public servant,” McCuskey says.“ Those experiences broadened my world view, but I always knew I wanted to come home to serve in some capacity, whether that be through my legal career or in public service.”
After graduating from law school, McCuskey worked in the oil and gas space, which provided him with a clear understanding of the important work happening in West Virginia and the challenges these industries face.
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