D. Garrison Hill
2023 - Present
2033
2
D. Garrison Hill is a judge of the South Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice. He assumed office on February 8, 2023. His current term ends on July 31, 2033.
Hill was appointed to the South Carolina Supreme Court in February 2023 to replace Kaye Hearn.[1] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
He was elected to the South Carolina Court of Appeals by the South Carolina General Assembly in February 2017 to succeed John C. Few.[2] He was re-elected to another term on February 2, 2022.[3]
Hill was previously a circuit court judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in South Carolina.[4] He joined the court in April 2004, and his final term would have expired on June 30, 2022.[5][6]
Biography
D. Garrison Hill was born in Greenville, South Carolina. Hill earned a B.A. from Wofford College in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1989. His career experience includes co-founding Hill & Hill, LLC, and working as an attorney with Hill, Wyatt, & Bannister and as a law clerk to former Judge Billy Wilkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Hill served as the chairman of the City of Greenville Board of Zoning Appeals and on the boards of the Greenville Literacy Association, Greenville Mental Health Association, and YMCA Camp Greenville.[7]
Appointments
2023
The South Carolina State Legislature appointed Judge Gary Hill to the South Carolina Supreme Court on February 8, 2023. Hill succeeded Justice Kaye Hearn, who retired on December 31, 2022. Hearn left office after reaching the court's mandatory retirement age of 72.[8][9]
At the time of the vacancy under South Carolina law, the five justices on the supreme court were appointed by the South Carolina Legislature to serve on the bench. The South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission screened and selected candidates for judgeships, then submitted a list of three names to the general assembly. The assembly then voted on the candidates, either choosing one of the three recommendations or rejecting the entire slate.[10]
State supreme court judicial selection in South Carolina
- See also: Judicial selection in South Carolina
The five justices on the supreme court are appointed by the South Carolina Legislature to serve on the bench. The South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission screens and selects candidates for judgeships and then submits a list of three names to the General Assembly, who vote to confirm judicial nominees by a majority vote.[10][11]
Supreme court justices serve 10-year terms. Upon finishing their terms, judges are subject to re-election by the legislature.[11]
Qualifications
To serve on the supreme court, a judge must be:
- a U.S. citizen;
- between the ages of 32 and 72*;
- a resident of the state for at least five years; and
- licensed as an attorney for at least eight years.[11]
*A judge who reaches the age of 72 in office must retire by the end of that calendar year.[12]
Chief justice
The supreme court chooses its chief justice by the same legislative election process used to select other judges. The chief serves in that capacity for ten years.[11]
Vacancies
If a judge leaves office before the end of his or her term, the vacancy is usually filled by legislative election. The appointee serves until the end of his or her predecessor's unexpired term, at which point he must be re-elected by the South Carolina General Assembly to remain on the court. If less than a year remains in an unexpired term, the governor has the option to appoint someone to the unexpired term instead.[11]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ News 10, "South Carolina becomes only state with all-male high court" accessed February 28, 2023
- ↑ South Carolina Court of Appeals, "Judge D. Garrison Hill," accessed March 16, 2017
- ↑ South Carolina Judicial Branch , "Judicial Elections" accessed July 20, 2022
- ↑ South Carolina Judicial Department, "Circuit Court Judges - Circuit 13," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Judicial Department, "Judge D. Garrison Hill Biography," accessed July 1, 2016
- ↑ State of South Carolina, "Terms of Judges," June 6, 2016
- ↑ SC Judicial Department, "Judge D. Garrison Hill," accessed March 15, 2023
- ↑ NBC News, "South Carolina Supreme Court justice’s retirement likely leaves behind an all-male bench," January 20, 2023
- ↑ News 10, "South Carolina becomes only state with all-male high court," February 8, 2023
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Albany Law Review, "The Untouchables: The Impact of South Carolina's New Judicial Selection System on the South Carolina Supreme Court, 1997-2003," June 30, 2004
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSCgeneral - ↑ The South Carolina Office of the Attorney General, "To the Honorable Victor A. Rawl," June 7, 2004
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of South Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of South Carolina
State courts:
South Carolina Supreme Court • South Carolina Court of Appeals • South Carolina Circuit Courts • South Carolina Masters-in-Equity • South Carolina Family Courts • South Carolina Magistrate Courts • South Carolina Municipal Courts • South Carolina Probate Courts
State resources:
Courts in South Carolina • South Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in South Carolina
