Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued a slew of aggressive executive orders on his first day as West Virginia's chief executive Tuesday, including one enabling families to receive religious exemptions from required school vaccinations — a massive departure for a state with one of the strictest vaccine policies in the

Morrisey is taking over for Jim Justice (R-WV), who got elected to the U.S. Senate in the 2024 general election. Former West Virginia State Auditor JB McCuskey was sworn into office as the state’s new Attorney General, filling Morrisey’s former position.

Jim Justice, former governor of West Virginia, took the oath of office for the Senate Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. A former billionaire whose family businesses include coal mines and the operation of The Greenbrier resort,