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Shepherd College alumna spends last day on the judges bench

By Emily Keefer - For the Chronicle | Nov 25, 2022

Jackson

MARTINSBURG — After more than 20 years as a judge and hearing over 23,000 cases, Judge Sally Jackson has retired. She recently had her last day on the bench.

Jackson was appointed as the first female family law judge in 2001 by former Gov. Bob Wise for the 24th Family Court Circuit in West Virginia. She was first elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2008 and 2016. She was an attorney for 10 years before that.

Along with the 23,000 cases Jackson heard, she said she also officiated about 1,000 weddings.

For Jackson, throughout her time in the courtroom, the biggest lesson she learned had to do with the impact parents have on their children.

“Parents who fight, their children suffer,” she said. “One attorney said, ‘They love their kids, but they hate each other more.’

“It is very stressful for children when their parents fight,” Jackson said. “We try to do everything we can. We are very lucky here. We have some great counselors that work with parents, and there is a high-conflict parenting class, as well. Children really do suffer. Kids are supposed to be able to be kids.”

Jackson said if she could tell the community at-large one thing, it would be that the family court judges truly try to be fair.

“We try really hard to be fair. It can be so disconcerting when you read these comments, ‘The judge hates men’ or ‘The judge hates on women’ or ‘The judge didn’t listen to me,”’ she said. “The perception that we aren’t fair, I would say that bothers me the most, because we really all do try. We all try really hard to be fair, but there are going to be a certain number of people that are really angry at your decision and get furious.”

Jackson earned her bachelor’s degree in history and English from Shepherd College. She later received her Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University, where she started law school when her daughter was in the first grade.

“It has been very fulfilling. It is what I was meant to do. It is hard work, but it is very rewarding,” Jackson said of her career. “I officially retired on Sept. 30, but then, the court asked me to stay on until my replacement started, which was last Monday. Then, our judge in Morgan County has gotten sick, so I have been covering that.”

While Jackson is officially retired, she said she doesn’t mind helping out, but she is looking forward to what retirement will hold for her.

“My daughter, her husband and our grandkids are in Florida,” she said.

Jackson and her husband plan on traveling more often and spending more time with their family. She said she also looks forward to devoting more time to baking, yard work and volunteering in the community, so she can continue to help others.

A new West Virginia Family Court judge, Lyndsey Matschat, has been appointed to replace Jackson and serve in Berkeley County and Jefferson County.