2 federal prosecutors vied for a Richland County judgeship. Here’s who won the election

Christopher Taylor, a federal prosecutor and former state solicitor, won a race against a fellow federal prosecutor to be a circuit court judge in Richland and Kershaw counties.

Lawmakers elected Taylor in a 112 to 36 vote.

Taylor, 53, and William Witherspoon, 65, work in the same U.S. Attorney’s office in Columbia. Both specialize in taking down violent gang chieftains and drug kingpins On Wednesday, they faced off in a race for a S.C. circuit judgeship in the General Assembly.

The seat Taylor won, which pays $217,574 a year, is based in the 5th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Richland and Kershaw counties.

“I’m happy for today, and I’m anxious to get to work,” Taylor told a State reporter after his election. “I’m very thankful for all my supporters, I really am.”

Richland is one of the state’s busiest legal centers. One of its three judgeships has been vacant for two years, since the departure of circuit Judge DeAndrea Gist Benjamin for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The other judgeships are held by Robert Hood and Daniel Coble.

Last year, the Republican-majority General Assembly rejected James Smith — a Democrat, former longtime state representative, 2018 nominee for governor and Afghanistan combat veteran — for the seat because of his political affiliation, even though Smith was the only candidate running who was declared qualified.

Taylor, who was born in Greer, worked as a prosecutor for the 6th Judicial Circuit solicitor’s office from 2001 to 2014 and in the U.S Attorney’s office in Columbia from 2014 to the present. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1994 and from the university’s School of Law in 2000.

Witherspoon, who was born in Lancaster County, graduated from USC in 1981 and from the university’s School of Law in 1991. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s office in 2000, he held a variety of private practice lawyer’s jobs and worked two stints as a law clerk for the late U.S. Judge Matthew Perry, who also was a civil rights lawyer. Columbia’s federal courthouse is named after Perry.

In other action:

Shawn Graham, a well-known former deputy solicitor in the Lexington County-centered 11th Judicial Circuit and the lone candidate for a judgship there, won.

Melissa Inzerillo, the lone candidate for a judgeship in the York County-centered 16th Judicial Circuit, was not elected as 93 lawmakers voted against her. She only had support from 54 lawmakers.

Inzerillo, a public defender who represents people accused of crimes, was in line to become York County’s first female judge. Republicans said they had concerns about Inzerillo’s stances on law enforcement.

This story has been updated to include the exact salary of circuit court judges.

This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 1:21 PM.