Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Frank Volk has been nominated to serve as a judge in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.  

President Donald Trump nominated Volk to preside in federal court in place of Judge John Copenhaver, who transferred to senior status in November, according to the U.S. Courts website.  

Approval of Volk’s nomination and appointment is pending before the U.S. Senate.  

Volk has presided as a bankruptcy court judge in the Southern District of West Virginia since 2015. His current office is based in the Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse in Charleston.

News of Volk’s nomination became public via a news release from U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito Tuesday evening. Capito said she recommended Volk for the nomination, saying he’s shown a “commitment to treating litigants fairly and upholding the rule of law through his years of service to our federal courts.”

In an email to the Gazette-Mail, Volk said he was flattered and humbled by Capito’s recommendation.  

“I look forward to the confirmation process,” Volk said.

Carl Tobias is the Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond School of Law. Federal judicial selection is among his areas of study, and he said the Senate is likely to confirm Volk.  

“Judge Volk is a well-qualified, experienced judge who should be easily confirmed,” Tobias said. “He has much service in the federal courts and is well respected.”  

Prior to serving as bankruptcy judge, Volk worked as a law clerk for Copenhaver, as well as the late U.S. district judge M. Blane Michael and the late chief U.S. district judge Charles H. Haden, according to Capito’s release.  

He also clerked for West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Margaret Workman.  


Volk grew up in Morgantown, and he earned a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University, and a law degree from WVU’s College of Law.

In college, Volk worked as the editor in chief of the West Virginia Law Review, according to Capito’s release.  

In addition to his work in federal court, Volk taught classes in federal civil rights and bankruptcy at the WVU law school for more than 10 years.