South Carolina Supreme Court justice vacancy (2026)
| South Carolina Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Few vacancy |
| Date: 2026[1] |
| Status: Retirement scheduled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: To be determined |
| Date: To be determined |
South Carolina Supreme Court Justice John C. Few is retiring in 2026. His retirement announcement came days before the South Carolina State Legislature was scheduled to vote on whether to re-elect Few to another ten-year term, or choose one of the three applicants who filed to run against the incumbent justice. According to South Carolina law, if an incumbent justice drops out of the consideration for his reelection campaign, the process starts anew, with current applicants needing to reapply to be reconsidered. The incumbent justice is also allowed to remain on the bench until his replacement is sworn into office. As of March 2026, Few has not announced his official retirement date. Few's replacement will be chosen by the South Carolina State Legislature.[2]
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]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the South Carolina Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2026.
Appointee candidates and nominations
Ballotpedia will post information on candidates and prospective appointees as information becomes available. If you know of information that should be included here, please email us.
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in South Carolina
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.
Makeup of the court
- See also: South Carolina Supreme Court
Justices
Following Few's retirement, the South Carolina Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Letitia H. Verdin | Appointed by South Carolina State Legislature in 2024 | |
| ■ John Kittredge | Appointed by South Carolina State Legislature in 2024 | |
| ■ D. Garrison Hill | Appointed by South Carolina State Legislature in 2023 | |
| ■ George C. James, Jr. | Appointed by South Carolina State Legislature in 2017 |
About the court
Founded in 1895, the South Carolina Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is John Kittredge.
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.
As of August 2024, all five judges on the court were appointed by the South Carolina State Legislature.
The South Carolina Supreme Court meets in Columbia, South Carolina.[4]
About Justice Few
- See also: John C. Few
Other state supreme court appointments in 2026
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2026
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2026. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2025.
| 2026 State Supreme Court Vacancies |
|---|
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: As of March 2026, Few has not announced his final retirement date.
- ↑ South Carolina Gazette, "SC Supreme Court election canceled after sitting justice drops out of race," March 3, 2026
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSCgeneral - ↑ South Carolina Judicial Department, "Supreme Court History," accessed August 25, 2021
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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
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- ↑ Note: As of March 2026, Justice Few has not announced his official retirement date.
