Hon. Letitia H. Verdin

Justice Letitia Hamilton Verdin—the daughter of Harry and Angela Hamilton—was born in Seneca, South Carolina. Her mother taught at her junior high school, and her father was her high school principal. She has two sisters, Felicia LeRoy and Blythe Hamilton.\n\nJustice Verdin graduated from Furman University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She also attended Clemson University for graduate school, studying Biochemistry. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina in 1997. While in law school, she was selected to be a member of the Moot Court Bar and National Moot Court competition team. She was also named the Outstanding Student Volunteer at the University of South Carolina School of Law for her work with domestic violence victims.\n\nAfter graduating from law school, she served as an Assistant Solicitor in the Office of the 13th Circuit Solicitor and, later, the Office of the 8th Circuit Solicitor. In this position, Justice Verdin prosecuted domestic violence cases and crimes against children. She also acted as the head of the Family Court unit for juvenile prosecution in both circuits. In 2000, she became an Associate Attorney with Clarkson, Walsh, Rheney, & Turner, P.A. in Greenville, South Carolina. In this position, she practiced in governmental and general civil liability defense, criminal defense, and family law. In 2005, she returned to prosecution at the Office of the 13th Circuit Solicitor.\n\nIn 2008, Justice Verdin was elected to the Family Court as a resident judge in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. Then, in 2011, the South Carolina Legislature elected her to the Circuit Court for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. As a Circuit Court judge, she served as President of the Circuit Judges’ Association, Chairperson of Judicial Standards, member of the Circuit Judges’ Advisory Council, and member of the Commission on Continuing Legal Education.\n\nIn 2023, she was elected to the Court of Appeals, and in 2024, the South Carolina Legislature elected her to be an Associate Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.\n\nJustice Verdin is a member of Liberty Fellowship and has taught as an adjunct professor at the Charleston School of Law. She is married to Chuck Verdin, a probate, estate, and corporate attorney in Greenville, South Carolina. They have twin sons, Zack and Eli. The Verdins are members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Travelers Rest, South Carolina.\n\nLaw Clerks: Jennifer Madsen, Brent Glasgow, and Scarlett Smith