On the Bench: Kaye Hearn, South Carolina Supreme Court

"On the Bench" is a periodic feature of On the Docket in which we profile an appellate judge from the Carolinas or the Fourth Circuit.

by Kirsten Small


Kaye Hearn was sworn in today as a Justice of the Supreme Court of South Carolina, replacing retiring Justice John Waller. She comes to the Supreme Court bench with a wealth of judicial experience, having served on the South Carolina Court of Appeals, ten of those years as the court's Chief Judge. Prior to that, she was a family court judge for the 15th Judicial Circuit (Georgetown and Horry Counties). Justice Hearn is the second woman on the five-member Supreme Court. She joins Chief Justice Jean Toal and Associate Justices Costa Pleicones, Donald Beattie, and John Kittredge.

Judge Hearn graduated cum laude from Bethany College in 1972 and earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1977. In 1998, she earned an L.L.M. degree from the University of Virginia.

My first appearance at the South Carolina Court of Appeals was before a panel that included Judge Hearn. I found her to be well prepared, insightful, and fair. I am sure she will be an asset to the Court.