SC Supreme Court Associate Justice John Few will step down when term ends

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.

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.

Kittredge will appoint various judges from the S.C. Court of Appeals and the circuit court bench to be substitute justices on high court cases until Few’s permanent successor is named.

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, 69, retires.

However, last year 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 — it is rare for an incumbent Supreme Court justice to be challenged — where Few was running in a March General Assembly election against Lucas, Lucas accumulated an overwhelming majority of lawmakers pledged to vote for him.

Just before the four-candidate election, Few dropped out of the race at a time when — because of technical rules governing judicial elections — it was not possible to hold an election that would have elected Lucas to the Supreme Court.

Consequently, Lucas — who in any event had scant judicial experience — and his powerful backers failed to install their chosen candidate on 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.

On Tuesday morning, before arguments in a tax dispute case called Town of Hilton Head Island vs. Beaufort County, Kittredge and other justices paid tribute to Few and his career.

“Justice Few has served in the state judiciary a quarter century, and he has rendered exemplary judicial service at every level,” Kittredge said as Few family members looked on.

In circuit court, Few presided over hundreds of jury trials before moving to the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, Kittredge said. “At every level, he has demonstrated the highest intellect, he has issued legal decisions that reflect incredible intellect, compelling analysis that will stand the test of time.”

Associate Justice George “Buck” James said he had known Few for over 20 years “as a colleague and a friend ... The main thing that we are going to miss dearly is the keen insight and the absolute stellar intellect that he blesses us all with when we discuss things, even when we disagree, never a stone unturned, never a wasted moment of trying to find the right answer.”

Associate Justice Garrison “Gary” Hill said he had always admired Few “for his intellect and his passion for the law ... His practical experience and his incredible mind are something that our state has had the benefit of for these many years .... You have raised the bar for judges in South Carolina; I know you’ll raise the bar for lawyers when you go back into the practice of law.”

Associate Justice Letitia Verdin said Few had been a mentor to her throughout her years on the bench. “One of the most amazing things about you is what a mentor you are to your law clerks, and what a strong law clerk network you have of fantastic lawyers who are out practicing.”

This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 4:47 PM.