[1] On August 17, 2018, he announced his candidacy for the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Division 1.

[3] Wilkes has served as president of the West Virginia Judicial Association,[4] co-chairman of the Youth Services Committee of the Court Improvement Board, and a member of the Judges Initiative Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association.

[11] Wilkes retired in January 2019,[6][12] and subsequently was appointed a senior judge, with a term ending on December 31, 2024.

[13] In 2023, he served as the common benefit fund manager in West Virginia's opioid litigation.

[14] Before he was elected to the bench, Wilkes served as a judge for the cities of Martinsburg and Ranson in West Virginia from 1985 to 1993.