The South Carolina Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices.Selection of JusticesJudges are selected by the legislature of South Carolina to serve terms of ten years. There is no prohibition against justices serving multiple terms on the court. However, there is a mandatory retirement age of 72 for state trial judges and state appellate judges in South Carolina.Current Justices of the CourtChief Justice Donald W. BeattyJustice John W. KittredgeJustice Kaye Gorenflo HearnJustice John Cannon Few Justice George C. James, Jr.For a list of previous justices see List of Justices of the South Carolina Supreme Court.JurisdictionThe court enjoys both original and appellate jurisdiction. It enjoys exclusive appellate jurisdiction for all state cases regarding the death penalty, state utility rates, judgments involving public bonded indebtedness and elections, and orders limiting state grand juries and relating to abortions by minors. Original jurisdiction pertains to the issuance writs including mandamus, certiorari, and very extraordinary bills.
