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Letitia H. Verdin
2024 - Present
2034
1
Letitia H. Verdin is a judge of the South Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice. She assumed office on July 31, 2024. Her current term ends on July 31, 2034.
Verdin first became a member of the South Carolina Supreme Court through an election by the South Carolina General Assembly in June 2024 to the seat vacated by John Kittredge. To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Education
Verdin received her B.S. in biology from Furman University in 1992 and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1997.[1]
Career
Verdin worked as an assistant solicitor for the Office of the 13th Circuit Solicitor and for the Office of the 8th Circuit Solicitor after graduating from law school. She was the head of the Family Court unit for juvenile prosecution during this time. Verdin then worked as an associate attorney for Clarkson, Walsh, Rheney, & Turner, P.A. in Greenville, South Carolina. In 2008, she was elected to the 13th Judicial Family Court. In 2011, she was elected to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. She also served on the South Carolina Court of Appeals from 2023 until her appointment to the South Carolina Supreme Court in 2024.[1][2]
Appointments
2024
On June 5, 2024, the South Carolina State Legislature appointed Letitia H. Verdin to succeed South Carolina Supreme Court Justice John Kittredge after he ascended to the Chief Justice position on July 30, 2024.
In South Carolina, state supreme court justices are selected through direct legislative appointment. Justices are appointed directly by the state legislature. There are two states that use this selection method. To read more about the legislative appointment of judges, click here.
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.[3]
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.[4][3]
Supreme court justices serve 10-year terms. Upon finishing their terms, judges are subject to re-election by the legislature.[3]
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.[3]
*A judge who reaches the age of 72 in office must retire by the end of that calendar year.[5]
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.[3]
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.[3]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ South Carolina Judicial Branch, "Judge Letitia H. Verdin, accessed August 30, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSCgeneral - ↑ 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
- ↑ 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
