About

James Lockemy

Dillon, S.C.

Occupation: Retired Chief Judge of South Carolina

Board of Governors appointee through 2023

Chief Judge James E. Lockemy (Ret.) earned his bachelor’s degree in history from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 1971. He then attended law school at the University of South Carolina. After graduating from law school, Lockemy entered the United States Army acquiring the rank of Captain while assigned to the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

After completing his three-year tour of duty, he joined the South Carolina Army National Guard and also accepted a position as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond. While in Washington, D.C., he served as a legal counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Strom Thurmond presented him for admission to the United States Supreme Court.

During his 43 years of military service, Chief Judge Lockemy was the recipient of seventeen awards, including The Legion of Merit. He was activated from the National Guard and served a tour of duty in war-torn Kosovo. He retired from active service as a full Colonel. He then entered the South Military Department where he retired as a Major General.

In 1982, he was elected to the House of Representatives where he served for seven years. In 1989, he was elected as a Circuit Judge where he served for eighteen years. Chief Judge Lockemy was then elected as a Judge for the South Carolina Court of Appeals. In 2016, he became the first American Indian to be elected Chief Judge, serving until his retirement in 2021. In the South Carolina Judiciary, he served as President of the Circuit Judges’ Association.

Chief Judge has served as an Adjunct Professor in Legal History at the University of South Carolina Law School since 2017. In 2012, Judge Lockemy received his master’s degree in history from The Citadel and is currently working on completing his Ph.D. in history from the University of South Carolina. Judge Lockemy has two sons, Jamie and Will, and eleven grandchildren. He served as UNCP’s commencement speaker in 2017. He was awarded UNCP’s Outstanding Alumni in 1985 and the Distinguished Service Award in 2012.