South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Kittredge vacancy (July 2024)
| South Carolina Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Kittredge vacancy |
| Date: July 30, 2024 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Letitia H. Verdin |
| Date: June 5, 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.[1]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the South Carolina Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- A list of finalists recommended to the governor.
- A list of candidates who applied to the vacancy.
- An overview of the selection process.
- Noteworthy events that occurred during the nomination 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 2024.
The appointee
- See also: Letitia H. Verdin
On June 5, 2024, Letitia H. Verdin was confirmed by the South Carolina State Legislature to serve on the South Carolina Supreme Court.[2]
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.[3][4]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Finalists
- See also: Noteworthy events
The South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) held public hearings on May 9, 2024, vetting the six candidates the JMSC released earlier in April. The JSMC released its short list of candidates it will send to the South Carolina General Assembly for confirmation. The short list included the following finalists:[5]
- Appellate Court judge Blake Hewitt (withdrew)
- Circuit Court judge Jocelyn Newman (withdrew)
- Appellate Court judge Letitia H. Verdin[6]
Applicants
On April 7, 2024, the South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) released a list of six candidates it deemed qualified to succeed Chief Justice Beatty. The applicants are subject to public hearings, after which the JMSC will narrow its list to three finalists to send to the South Carolina General Assembly. The candidates released on April 7, 2024 by the JMSC include:[7]
- Administrative law court judge Ralph Anderson, III
- Appellate Court judge Blake Hewitt
- Circuit Court judge Deadra L. Jefferson
- Former state representative Keith Kelly
- Circuit Court judge Jocelyn Newman
- Appellate Court judge Letitia H. Verdin[8]
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.
Noteworthy events
Between May 28 and May 30, two of the three finalists nominated by the South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) withdrew their candidacies to succeed Chief Justice Donald Beatty. First, Circuit Court judge Jocelyn Newman officially announced her withdrawal from the race on May 28, 2024. Two days later, on May 30, 2024, Appellate Court judge Blake Hewitt submitted his withdrawal from the race. Both candidates cited Verdin, the eventual nominee securing enough votes to win the nomination. The South Carolina General Assembly voted to confirm Appellate Court judge Letitia H. Verdin to the South Carolina Supreme Court.[9][10]
Makeup of the court
- See also: South Carolina Supreme Court
Justices
Following Kittredge's ascension, the South Carolina Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ John C. Few | Appointed by South Carolina State Legislature in 2016 | |
| ■ D. Garrison Hill | Appointed by South Carolina State Legislature in 2023 | |
| ■ George C. James, Jr. | Appointed by South Carolina State Legislature in 2017, and re-appointed in 2020 |
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.[11]
About Justice Kittredge
- See also: South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Beatty vacancy (July 2024)
- See also: John Kittredge
Kittredge received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina in 1979 and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1982.[12]
After graduating from law school Kittredge clerked for William W. Wilkins, Jr., he then entered private practice. He was elected to the Family Court in 1991. In 1996, he joined the Circuit Court, where he served until his election to the South Carolina Court of Appeals in 2003. Kittredge was elected to the South Carolina Supreme Court in 2008.[3]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2024
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2024
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2024. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2023.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSCgeneral - ↑ Associated Press, "South Carolina is trading its all-male Supreme Court for an all-white one," June 5, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ South Carolina Judicial Branch, "Judge Letitia H. Verdin, accessed August 30, 2024
- ↑ Candidates listed in alphabetical order by last name
- ↑ South Carolina Daily Gazette, "2 women, 1 man among finalists for SC Supreme Court," May 9, 2024
- ↑ Candidates listed in alphabetical order by last name
- ↑ WIS 10, "SC commission announces 6 candidates for next supreme court seat," April 9, 2024
- ↑ South Carolina Daily Gazette, "SC stands to have all white Supreme Court as race narrows to 2 candidates," May 28, 2024
- ↑ WIS 10, "Judge Letitia Verdin faces election as sole candidate to SC Supreme Court following second judge withdrawal," May 30, 2024
- ↑ South Carolina Judicial Department, "Supreme Court History," accessed August 25, 2021
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Justice John W. Kittredge," accessed July 15, 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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