Chief Judge James E. Lockemy
Judicial Member at Large (2021 – 2024)
Chief Judge, Court of Appeals, State of South Carolina
University of South Carolina School of Law in 1974
Judge Lockemy has been a member of the South Carolina Court of Appeals since 2009 and the Chief Judge since his election in 2016. The first Native American to hold that position. Until his selection to the Board of Governors, he served in the ABA House of Delegates as the delegate from the South Carolina Bar. He was the Chair of the Appellate Judges Conference in 2018 within the Judicial Division and the Chair of the Appellate Judges Education Institute (AJEI) in 2019. He actively served the Judicial Division as Membership Co-Chair, Chair of the Editorial Board of the Judges' Journal where he also authored several articles. He served on the Judicial Division Book Editorial Board from its inception. Just before joining the Board of Governors, he served as Co-Chair of the Awards Committee which selects the recipients of the prestigious John Marshall Award and the William Missouri Civility Award.
Judge Lockemy served as Chair of the South Carolina Circuit Judges Association while serving as a trial judge. His military service spanned 30 years both active and National Guard, retiring as a Colonel from active duty and then volunteering for an additional 12 years in the South Carolina Military Department retiring as a Major General. He served as President of the National Guard Association of South Carolina and was selected as Dillon County Veteran of the Year in 1999. He is currently finishing up his Ph.D. in History at the University of South Carolina. He is an adjunct professor at the USC School of Law.