--- title: "James E. Lockemy | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-e-lockemy-8258" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # James E. Lockemy South Carolina Court of Appeals · Judge ## Profile - Court: South Carolina Court of Appeals - State: South Carolina - Role: Judge - Service status: former - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Since 2024, Lockemy has been Of Counsel at Richardson Plowden’s Myrtle Beach Office - Judge, Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 1989-present - First elected to the court on May 21, 2008, to fill the unexpired term of retired Judge Ralph King Anderson Jr - Retired Honorable Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals and a seasoned legal professional now practicing in alternative dispute resolution and appellate law - Served 18 years as a South Carolina Circuit Court Judge, presiding over a wide range of complex cases - He then held a seven-year tenure as Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, becoming the first Native American to occupy that role - He has held the role of an adjunct professor of American Legal History at the University of South Carolina School of Law ### Education ### Additional information - focusing on mediation, arbitration, and appellate law - Lockemy has over 43 years of military service, including an active-duty tour in Kosovo and 26 years in the South Carolina National Guard. - Retired from the U.S. Army as a full Colonel and later as a Major General in the South Carolina Military Department - Before his judicial appointments, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives for seven years - focusing on health care and legislative policy - He also worked in Washington, D.C. as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond and as Sub‐Committee Minority Counsel for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee - In Dillon, SC, he is active in local governance, veterans’ affairs, and cultural projects, and has held leadership roles in the National Guard Association of South Carolina and the South Carolina Circuit Court Judges’ Association ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### recording broadcasting photography Scope: statewide South Carolina Rule 605 generally prohibits courtroom broadcasting, televising, recording, and photography unless an exception or presiding-judge authorization applies. Evidence excerpt: the broadcasting, televising, recording, or taking photographs in the courtroom and areas immediately adjacent thereto during sessions of court or recesses between sessions is prohibited [South Carolina Appellate Court Rule 605: Broadcasting, Televising, Recording or Photographing Court Proceedings](https://www.sccourts.org/resources/judicial-community/court-rules/appellate/rule-605/) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### electronic evidence presentation Scope: statewide South Carolina Rule 605 permits the presiding judge to authorize electronic or photographic means for evidence presentation, record preservation, or judicial administration. Evidence excerpt: A presiding judge may authorize the use of electronic or photographic means for the presentation of evidence [South Carolina Appellate Court Rule 605: Broadcasting, Televising, Recording or Photographing Court Proceedings](https://www.sccourts.org/resources/judicial-community/court-rules/appellate/rule-605/) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### media coverage notice Scope: statewide South Carolina Rule 605 requires media representatives to give reasonable notice to the presiding judge when requesting courtroom coverage. Evidence excerpt: Media representatives must give reasonable notice to the presiding judge of a request to cover a proceeding. [South Carolina Appellate Court Rule 605: Broadcasting, Televising, Recording or Photographing Court Proceedings](https://www.sccourts.org/resources/judicial-community/court-rules/appellate/rule-605/) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote communication technology Scope: statewide South Carolina Rule 612 authorizes the Supreme Court to provide by order for courts to use remote communication technology for proceedings. Evidence excerpt: the Supreme Court of South Carolina may provide for the use of remote communication technology by the courts of this State to conduct proceedings [South Carolina Appellate Court Rule 612: Use of Remote Communication Technology](https://www.sccourts.org/resources/judicial-community/court-rules/appellate/rule-612/) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### virtual and in person recording Scope: statewide South Carolina's statewide order prohibits photographing, recording, or streaming live, virtual, or broadcasted court proceedings unless the presiding judge specifically authorizes it under Rule 605. Evidence excerpt: taking still photographs, recording (visual or audio), or streaming of any live, virtual, or subsequently broadcasted court proceeding is strictly prohibited unless specifically authorized by the presiding judge pursuant to Rule 605 [Supreme Court of South Carolina Order: Recording of In-Person or Virtual Court Proceedings](https://www.sccourts.org/courtOrders/displayOrder.cfm?orderNo=2020-09-28-01) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8258/james-e-lockemy/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8258/james-e-lockemy/) - [Court of Appeals of South Carolina current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8258/james-e-lockemy/) - [South Carolina Appellate Court Rule 605: Broadcasting, Televising, Recording or Photographing Court Proceedings](https://www.sccourts.org/resources/judicial-community/court-rules/appellate/rule-605/) - [South Carolina Appellate Court Rule 612: Use of Remote Communication Technology](https://www.sccourts.org/resources/judicial-community/court-rules/appellate/rule-612/) - [Supreme Court of South Carolina Order: Recording of In-Person or Virtual Court Proceedings](https://www.sccourts.org/courtOrders/displayOrder.cfm?orderNo=2020-09-28-01) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8258/james-e-lockemy/) - [James Lockemy - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/James_Lockemy) - [Judge James E. Lockemy - Richardson Plowden](https://richardsonplowden.com/people/james-lockemy) - [South Carolina Judicial Branch 2021 Annual Report - Court of Appeals](https://www.sccourts.org/media/qdndin0l/2021annualreport.pdf) - [Judicial Merit Selection Commission Media Release June 21, 2021](https://www.sccourts.org/opinions/advSheets/no212021.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8258/james-e-lockemy/) - [James Lockemy - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/James_Lockemy) - [Judge James E. Lockemy - Richardson Plowden](https://richardsonplowden.com/people/james-lockemy) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-e-lockemy-8258", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-e-lockemy-8258", "name": "James E. Lockemy | KnowJudges", "description": "James E. Lockemy, South Carolina Court of Appeals. 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