Justice John Few to leave bench at end of July

South Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice John Few announced Tuesday that he will leave the court when his term expires July 31, 2026, according to reporting by WISTV in Columbia and South Carolina Public Radio.

Few, 62, heard his final cases on May 21. In a statement, he noted that his service on the court began Feb. 9, 2016, and that his term ends as set forth in the South Carolina Constitution.

The announcement came months after Few withdrew from his bid for re-election in March, acknowledging he did not have the votes to win another 10-year term. Had he secured re-election, he was in line to eventually become the state’s next chief justice, FITSNews reported.

Chief Justice John Kittredge praised Few at a farewell ceremony, saying he “has served in the state judiciary a quarter century” and has “demonstrated the highest intellect” at every level of the court, according to AOL News. Associate Justice Garrison Hill called Few a mentor who had “raised the bar for judges in South Carolina.”

Few was elected to the Supreme Court by the legislature in 2016, filling the seat previously held by former Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal. The Judicial Merit Selection Commission has reopened the screening process for his seat, South Carolina Public Radio reported.