Prior to being elected as a circuit judge of
Monongalia County in 1976, he served as an assistant to the Vice-President for Off-Campus Education at WVU, as director of the North Central West Virginia Legal Aid Society, and as a private lawyer. He served as circuit judge for 20 years (1977-1996), including 18 as chief judge. While sitting as a circuit judge, Starcher served as a special judge in 23 of West Virginia’s 55 counties. He presided over the trial of 20,000 asbestos injury cases and a six-month state buildings asbestos trial. In November 1996, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals as a
Democrat in a partisan election. He served as chief justice in 1999, and 2003. He promoted action in several areas of judicial administration, specifically: court facilities committee; public trust and confidence in the judiciary; mental hygiene commission; court technology summit; self-represented litigants task force; state law library improvements; and reactivated the gender fairness task force. Starcher had been highly critical of the actions of the executive of a coal company who had business before the court, which led to him recusing himself in at least some decisions involving that company. He criticized a fellow Justice who won election with large contributions from the coal company executive and then cast deciding votes in favor of the company. The situation led to a
U. S. Supreme Court case,
Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., about when judges should recuse themselves. ==Death==