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S.C. State Supreme Court Associate Justice John Few said Tuesday he will leave his post at the end of July when his term expires.
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The 63-year-old Few will hear his final cases Wednesday morning, May 20, he said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon.
The statement read: “I began my service on the Supreme Court of South Carolina on February 9, 2016.
“My current term — as set forth in the Constitution of South Carolina — ends on July 31, 2026. Because of the time constraints associated with the preparation and filing of opinions — including possible concurring or dissenting opinions — by July 31, the Chief Justice, the other Associate Justices, and I have agreed that the oral arguments for the current session of court (Tuesday and Wednesday) will be the final oral arguments in which I participate.
“I will continue to work with the Court to complete by July 31 the work on the cases we have already heard.”
Few’s statement puts to rest speculation that Chief Justice John Kittredge would continue to have Few hear appeals until a permanent replacement is elected by the General Assembly. But that is not expected to happen until next year.
Instead, Kittredge is likely to appoint various judges from the S.C. Court of Appeals and the circuit court bench to sit in on high court cases until Few’s permanent successor is named.
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Few did not give details Tuesday of what he will be doing when he leaves the high court. However, he is expected to go into private practice.
Few’s legal career includes 10 years as a circuit judge, six years as chief judge on the Court of Appeals and 10 years on the Supreme Court.
He was likely next in line to become chief justice after Kittredge retires.
However, powerful lawmakers in the S.C. House wanted to install a former state Speaker of the House, Jay Lucas, on the Supreme Court.
In the resulting political upheaval, Few dropped hid bid for re-election in March at a time when it was not possible for Lucas to be elected to the Supreme Court.
In South Carolina, the 170 state lawmakers elect judges and justices after a screening process. The 124-member House has more sway in judicial elections than the 46-member Senate.
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This is a breaking news story and will be updated.