Moore Capito

Arch Alfred Moore Capito (born August 30, 1982) is an American attorney and Republican politician from West Virginia who serves as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.^[1] A sixth-generation West Virginian and son of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, he previously practiced law before entering politics.^[2][3] Capito represented the 55th District in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2016 to 2023, where he chaired the Judiciary Committee and advanced conservative legislation, including efforts to secure a Republican supermajority in the chamber during the 2020 elections.^[2][3] He resigned from the legislature in December 2023 to pursue the Republican nomination for governor of West Virginia in the 2024 election, emphasizing policies to retain families and foster economic opportunities in the state, though he did not advance past the primary.^[4][5] Nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2025, Capito was sworn in as U.S. Attorney on October 16, 2025, becoming the chief federal law enforcement officer for southern West Virginia.^[1][6] His career reflects a commitment to implementing what his supporters describe as West Virginia's most conservative policy agenda in state history, drawing on his family's multigenerational political legacy, including his grandfather, former Governor Arch A. Moore Jr.^[3][2]

Early life and education

Family background and upbringing

Arch Alfred Moore Capito was born on August 30, 1982, to Shelley Moore Capito, who later became a U.S. Senator from West Virginia, and Charles L. Capito, a financial executive who served as managing director of Wells Fargo Advisors' complex in the state before retiring.^[2][7] He has two siblings: an older brother, Charles Jr., and a younger sister, Shelley.^[8] Capito's maternal grandfather, Arch A. Moore Jr., was a prominent Republican politician who served three terms as governor of West Virginia (1969–1977 and 1985–1989) and represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1957 to 1969.^[9] Raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Capito attended George Washington High School, reflecting the family's longstanding ties to the state's capital and political establishment.^[2] His upbringing occurred amid his mother's rising political career, which began with her election to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1996, though specific details on his early personal experiences remain limited in public records.^[10]

Academic and early professional development

Capito graduated from George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia. He attended Duke University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in history in 2005.^[11][2] After college, Capito gained early professional experience in Washington, D.C., serving on the White House advance team in 2006, as a staff member in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2007 to 2008, and in the Office of the Majority Whip in the U.S. House of Representatives.^[11][12] Capito then pursued legal education at Washington and Lee University School of Law, obtaining his Juris Doctor in 2011.^[11][12] His early legal career commenced immediately after graduation as corporate counsel for Energy Corporation of America, a position he held from 2011 to 2017, focusing on energy sector matters. In 2017, he advanced to corporate counsel and director of land at Greylock Energy, the successor entity to Energy Corporation of America, continuing in that role until 2019.^[11][12]

Legal career

Pre-political legal practice

Capito earned a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University and a [Juris Doctor](/page/Juris Doctor) from Washington and Lee University School of Law.^[2] Prior to his entry into electoral politics, he practiced as a private attorney in Charleston, West Virginia, where his work centered on corporate and commercial law, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, and corporate governance for both publicly traded and privately held companies.^[13][14] His practice also encompassed energy and natural resources issues, reflecting West Virginia's dominant industries, with emphasis on regulatory compliance and transactional matters in the sector.^[14] This experience positioned him to advise clients on emerging technologies and resource development, areas that aligned with the state's economic priorities before he campaigned successfully for the West Virginia House of Delegates in the 2016 election.^[15]

Key legal roles and experiences

Prior to his political service, Capito practiced law with a focus on energy and natural resources, though specific early firm affiliations post-law school remain undocumented in public records.^[2] From December 2017 to September 2019, while serving in the West Virginia House of Delegates, he held the position of Corporate Counsel and Director of Land at Greylock Energy, one of West Virginia's largest independent oil and gas production and midstream companies, where he oversaw land acquisition, title examinations, and regulatory compliance for upstream operations.^[12] In October 2019, he joined Babst Calland as a shareholder in its Charleston, West Virginia office, specializing in the firm's Corporate and Commercial, Emerging Technologies, and Energy and Natural Resources groups; his practice encompassed mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities law, emerging technologies, and energy-related transactions.^[12][14] These roles highlighted his expertise in the natural gas sector, aligning with West Virginia's dominant industry, though no high-profile litigation or precedent-setting cases are publicly attributed to him.^[16]

State political career

Entry into electoral politics

In 2016, Moore Capito, a practicing attorney in Charleston, West Virginia, entered electoral politics by running as a Republican for one of four at-large seats in the West Virginia House of Delegates representing District 35, which covers portions of Kanawha County including Charleston. This multi-member district election featured competition from both parties, with Republicans gaining ground amid the party's statewide momentum that year. Capito's campaign emphasized local issues such as economic development and legal reform, drawing on his professional background in civil litigation and public service experience.^[17] On November 8, 2016, Capito secured election with 14,822 votes, comprising 16.67% of the 88,936 total votes cast in the district, placing him among the top four candidates and defeating Democratic challengers.^[18] His victory contributed to the Republican supermajority in the House, reflecting voter shifts in Kanawha County toward GOP candidates in the Trump-aligned election cycle. Capito was sworn in for the 82nd Legislature in January 2017, beginning his tenure focused on judiciary and energy committees.^[17]

Service in the West Virginia House of Delegates

Moore Capito was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in the November 8, 2016, general election, winning one of three seats in the multi-member 35th District, which covered portions of Kanawha County.^[17] As a Republican, he took office on January 11, 2017, for the 82nd Legislative Session, representing constituents in the Charleston area. Capito was reelected in the 2018 and 2020 general elections under the pre-redistricting multi-seat format for the 35th District.^[2] Following the 2020 census and subsequent redistricting, Capito's district was redrawn into the single-member 55th District, still within Kanawha County. In the November 8, 2022, election, he secured reelection by defeating Democratic opponent Greg Childress, receiving 3,476 votes to Childress's 2,393, or 59.2% of the total. This victory extended his service into the 86th Legislative Session beginning January 11, 2023. Capito held the leadership position of Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee during his final term, overseeing legislation related to courts, criminal justice, and legal reforms.^[19] He resigned from the House effective December 21, 2023, midway through his term, citing a focus on other professional commitments.^[4]

Legislative record and policy positions

Capito served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2017 to 2023, representing districts in Kanawha County, including District 35 initially and later District 55 following redistricting. During this period, he sponsored multiple bills focused on economic incentives and regulatory relief. In February 2018, he introduced measures to promote entrepreneurship and small business growth, aiming to streamline permitting processes and reduce barriers for startups in the state.^[20] That same year, Capito sponsored HB 4003, which proposed restrictions on the use of certain prescription drugs to combat West Virginia's severe opioid epidemic, though the bill remained pending in the House Health and Human Resources Committee.^[21] As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee starting in 2019, Capito influenced legislation on legal and regulatory matters, often prioritizing industry interests in energy-dependent West Virginia. He supported a 2019 rules package that eased water quality standards for stream conductivity, facilitating operations for coal mining and related activities by adjusting federal EPA guidelines under state authority.^[22] In 2021, he sponsored HB 2808 to remove salt from the statutory definition of "mineral" for severance tax calculations, exempting salt extraction from the 5% tax rate applied to other natural resources and thereby reducing fiscal burdens on producers. Capito's record reflected a consistent emphasis on limited government intervention, tax relief for extractive industries, and public health initiatives tied to economic productivity. He aligned with Republican majorities in passing budgets that prioritized infrastructure funding for energy sectors and opposed expansions of regulatory oversight, consistent with West Virginia's reliance on coal, natural gas, and manufacturing for 20-25% of GDP as of 2020 data from state economic reports.^[2] His sponsorships and committee leadership underscored causal links between deregulation and job retention in rural areas, though critics from environmental groups argued such positions risked long-term ecological costs without empirical mitigation evidence.^[22]

Federal appointment

Nomination for U.S. Attorney

On July 1, 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Arch Moore Capito, commonly known as Moore Capito, to serve as United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.^[13][23] The nomination was received by the Senate on June 30, 2025, and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary as PN379-5 in the 119th Congress.^[23] West Virginia's U.S. Senators Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito, the nominee's mother, issued a joint statement applauding the selection, with Justice describing Capito as a "rock solid pick" and a "serious conservative" whom he had recommended to the president.^[24] Senator Shelley Moore Capito highlighted her son's qualifications as a "respected attorney" and former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, where he chaired the Judiciary Committee, emphasizing his understanding of key regional issues such as the opioid epidemic, energy sector employment, and economic development in Appalachian communities.^[24] She expressed being "thrilled and extremely proud" of the nomination, positioning Capito's leadership and legal expertise as ideal for enforcing federal law in the district.^[24][13]

Senate confirmation process

Capito's nomination was received by the Senate on June 30, 2025, and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.^[23] On September 11, 2025, the committee ordered a favorable report without a printed report or recorded hearing, placing the nomination on the Senate Executive Calendar (No. 374).^[23] Senate consideration advanced on October 3, 2025, with a motion to proceed agreed to by voice vote and a cloture motion presented; cloture was invoked the following day, October 6, by a 50-45 recorded vote.^[23][25] The full Senate confirmed Capito on October 7, 2025, by a 51-47 vote (Record Vote 547) as part of an en bloc approval of multiple executive nominations under Senate Resolution 412.^[23][26][27] Both West Virginia senators, Shelley Moore Capito (R) and Jim Justice (R), supported the confirmation.^[6][28]

Associated controversies and defenses

Moore Capito's confirmation as United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia on October 10, 2025, by a 51-47 Senate vote drew scrutiny primarily for the participation of his mother, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who voted in favor.^[26][29] Senate ethics rules permit members to vote on nominations of immediate family members provided there is no financial benefit or improper use of office, and no such violation was alleged or substantiated in this case.^[29][30] Critics, including the West Virginia Democratic Party—a partisan group opposing Republican policies—claimed Senator Capito's support for a July 2025 omnibus spending bill, dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill" by proponents, was linked to securing her son's nomination announced the same day, though no evidence of quid pro quo was presented.^[30] Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a left-leaning ethics advocacy organization, argued the vote exemplified a broader trend of family-related confirmations eroding public trust, citing similar instances involving other senators' relatives earlier in 2025.^[29][30] CREW's senior ethics counsel, Cynthia Brown, described it as a "shift away from adherence to the ethics rules," though the group acknowledged no formal breach occurred.^[29] In defense, Senator Capito's office asserted that "the ethics are clear on this vote" and that she consistently follows Senate standards, emphasizing the nominees' qualifications over familial ties.^[29][30] The senator herself issued a statement post-confirmation praising Moore Capito and the Northern District's nominee for their "high integrity and proven commitment to public service," without referencing her relationship, and West Virginia's Republican leadership, including Senator Jim Justice, endorsed the selections as "rock solid" based on conservative credentials and experience.^[30][24] Capito was sworn in on October 20, 2025, by Chief U.S. District Judge Irene Berger, proceeding without further legal challenges.^[31]

Personal life

Family and relationships

Moore Capito is the son of United States Senator Shelley Moore Capito and her husband, Charles L. Capito Jr., a retired insurance executive.^[32][8] His mother has served as a U.S. Senator from West Virginia since 2015, following prior roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and West Virginia state legislature, while his parents married in 1976 and reside in Charleston, West Virginia.^[32] Capito has two siblings: an older brother, Charles "Chip" Capito III, who is married to Laura Capito, and a younger sister, Shelley Eskew Capito, who married Colin Macaulay Macleod in 2014.^[32][33] The Capito family has deep roots in West Virginia politics, with Senator Capito's father, Arch A. Moore Jr., having served as the state's governor. Capito is married to Liberty Capito.^[32] Details regarding children are not publicly detailed in available records, though his parents have noted nine grandchildren as of August 2025 across their three children.^[34] No public information indicates prior marriages or significant relationship controversies for Capito.^[32]

Post-political activities

Following his resignation from the West Virginia House of Delegates on December 21, 2023, to pursue the Republican nomination for governor, Capito maintained his career in private legal practice at the Charleston office of Babst Calland, where he had joined as a shareholder in the firm's corporate and energy practice group in 2019.^[12] After placing second in the GOP gubernatorial primary on May 14, 2024, behind Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Capito focused on his work as an attorney specializing in corporate law, energy law, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, real estate transactions, business governance, and commercial contracts.^[35][1] He represented both publicly traded and privately held companies, providing counsel on complex transactions and emerging technologies, including data center development.^[1][36] Capito continued this practice until his nomination by President Donald Trump on July 1, 2025, to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.^[13]