Common Pleas Judge

Andrew P. Ballard

• Office sought: Judge, Court of Common Pleas, General Division

• Party: Democrat

• Age: 43

• Residence: Proctorville

• Professional Background: Private practice attorney 2003-2016; Judge, Court of Common Pleas, General Division 2016-present.

• Occupation: Incumbent Judge, Court of Common Pleas, General Division

• Political experience: Elected judge in November 2016

• Civic involvement: I serve on the boards of the Fairland Little League, Fairland Buddy Basketball League and District 11 Little League; Member of Free and Accepted Masons, Proctorville Lodge #550 and the Chesapeake-Proctorville-Rome Lion’s Club.

• What will your top priority be if elected to office? Continue the success of the Nexus Recovery Docket, which is Lawrence County’s first certified drug court, and implement innovative procedures in court that enhance public safety and address the drug addiction problem in our community.

• What makes you the best candidate for the job? My desire to serve the people of Lawrence County and my commitment to provide fair, impartial and equal treatment under the law to all who appear before the court.

• What professional accomplishments are you most proud of in your life? In my private practice, my greatest professional accomplishment was arguing and winning a case in the United States 4th District Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.  As a judge, I’m most proud of my drug court and our treatment team. (…)

• What would you do to increase bipartisanship and cooperation in our government? In order to provide our citizens with a truly fair and impartial judiciary, the court must remain neutral on all political matters.  The rule of law is all that matters in court and the law should never be swayed by politics. (…)

• Other comments (30 words or less): I have been blessed to serve as a judge in our community for the past three years. I look forward to continuing my service to Lawrence County.  I would greatly appreciate your vote in the general election on Nov. 3.