George C. James, Jr (born June 2, 1960)[1] is an American lawyer and judge, who serves as a justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.

George James
Justice James sitting at a dais
Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court
Assumed office
February 7, 2017
Preceded byDonald W. Beatty
Personal details
Born (1960-06-02) June 2, 1960 (age 64)
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
EducationThe Citadel (BS)
University of South Carolina (JD)

James was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1960.[2] He was raised in Sumter, South Carolina, and graduated from Wilson Hall School in 1978.[2] He completed a bachelor's degree in business administration at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina in 1982, and completed a J.D. degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1985.[3]

James was in private practice in South Carolina from 1985 to 2006.[3] He worked for and became a partner with his father's law firm, Richardson, James and Playerm, which subsequently merged to become Lee, Erter, Wilson, James, Holler and Smith LLC in 2000.[2]

James was elected by the South Carolina General Assembly to serve as a state judge on the South Carolina Circuit Court in 2006, for the Third Circuit, which covers four counties in eastern South Carolina: Clarendon, Lee, Sumter, and Williamsburg. He was re-elected to a second term in 2012.

The South Carolina General Assembly elected James to serve as a justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court in February 2017, to fill the remaining three years of the term of Donald W. Beatty, who was elevated to chief justice.[3] The South Carolina General Assembly re-elected James to a new ten-year term on February 5, 2020.[4]

James is a former member of the South Carolina Supreme Court's Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Supreme Court Biographies" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  2. ^ a b c "Local judge up for spot on Supreme Court". The Manning Times. Manning, South Carolina. December 23, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Prabhu, Maya (February 1, 2017). "Citadel graduate George James elected new S.C. Supreme Court justice". The Post and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  4. ^ "SC Judicial Branch".
  5. ^ "Membership List" (PDF). Commission on CLE and Specialization. Supreme Court of South Carolina. October 7, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 18, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Membership List" (PDF). Commission on CLE and Specialization. Supreme Court of South Carolina. July 1, 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
Legal offices
Preceded by Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court
2017–present
Incumbent