Gina Marie Groh is currently a Judge on the 23rd Judicial Circuit Court of West Virginia, a position she has held since 2006. She is also a judicial nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia

United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia

The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia (in case citations, N.D. W.Va.) is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court...

Early life and education

A native of Williamsport, Maryland, Groh received a Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree, summa cum laude from Shepherd University

Shepherd University

Shepherd University, formerly Shepherd College, is a state-funded university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States. The University currently serves more than 4,200 students.- Accreditation :...

 in 1986. She received the McMurran Scholar Award, the highest academic honor granted by Shepherd University. In 1989 she received a juris doctorate

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from West Virginia University College of Law

West Virginia University College of Law

The West Virginia University College of Law is the professional school for the study of law at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The law school was established in 1878 as the first professional school in the state of West Virginia...

.

Career

After law school, Groh worked at the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson

Steptoe & Johnson (West Virginia)

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is a regional law firm in the U.S. with 11 offices in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Texas. It is one of the largest law firms in the region employing over 200 lawyers in 30 practice areas...

 from 1989 to 1991 and Mell, Brownell & Baker from 1991 to 1995. She took a position with the firm Semmes, Bowen & Semmes from 1995 to 1998. Groh became an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Berkeley County, West Virginia

Berkeley County, West Virginia

Berkeley County is a county located in the Eastern Panhandle region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population is 104,169, making it the second-most populous county in West Virginia, behind Kanawha...

 between the years of 1998 to 2002. From 2002 until 2006, she was an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Jefferson County, West Virginia

Jefferson County, West Virginia

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 53,498. Its county seat is Charles Town...

. In 2006, she was appointed by (then) Governor Joe Manchin

Joe Manchin

Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...

 as a Judge of the 23rd Judicial Circuit Court of West Virginia. She is the first female Judge to serve in the 23rd Judicial Circuit and at the time of her appointment was only the third female circuit judge in West Virginia.

Northern District of West Virginia nomination

In March of 2011, United States Senators

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 Joe Manchin

Joe Manchin

Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...

 and Jay Rockefeller

Jay Rockefeller

John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as Governor of West Virginia, a position he held from 1977 to 1985...

 recommended Groh to President Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 to fill a vacant seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia

United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia

The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia (in case citations, N.D. W.Va.) is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court...

. On May 19, 2011, Groh was nominated by the President to fill the seat of Judge W. Craig Broadwater

W. Craig Broadwater

Willard Craig Broadwater was a United States federal judge.Born in Elk City, Oklahoma, Broadwater graduated from Paden City High School in West Virginia and received a B.A. from West Virginia University in 1972 and a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law in 1977. He was in the United...

, who died in 2006.
Her nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on October 6, 2011, by voice vote.