--- title: "R. K. Kelly | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-k-kelly-circuit-court-judge-south-carolina-circuit-court-circuit-7-sc" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # R. K. Kelly South Carolina Circuit Court, Circuit 7 · Circuit Court Judge ## Profile - Court: South Carolina Circuit Court, Circuit 7 - State: South Carolina - Role: Circuit Court Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-27 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - George School of Law, Mercer University in 1987 and returned to Spartanburg County to practice law - Immediately preceding election to the bench, he was a partner at Lister, Flynn & Kelly, PA., Spartanburg, SC - R. Keith Kelly is an at-large judge of the South Carolina Circuit Court, Seat 14, serving in the Seventh Judicial Circuit - Before joining the court, Kelly was a partner at Lister, Flynn & Kelly, P.A. in Spartanburg. ### Education - Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law in — J.D. (1987) - He attended Woodruff High School and R.D. Anderson Vocational School, graduating in 1976, then obtained a B.A. from the University of South Carolina Spartanburg in 1981 ### Additional information - Leaving the military to attend law school, he was Honorably Discharged from Active Duty in 1984 and immediately accepted a US Army Reserve commission where he served as a Company Commander and later on Battalion staff before being Honorably Discharged. - He served in the U.S. Army as an officer, including active duty until 1984 and later as a Reserve Company Commander and Battalion staff member. - A native of Woodruff, South Carolina, Judge Kelly was born in 1958 to Ralph D. and Louise C. Kelly. - Spartanburg County — private practice after law school - R. K. Kelly is admitted to practice in all South Carolina State Courts, US District Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. - A former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, he served on the SC House Judiciary Committee and was Chairman of its Criminal Laws subcommittee. - Kelly is admitted to the South Carolina Bar, Spartanburg County Bar Association, and South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. - He is active in community organizations such as the Spartanburg Rotary Club, Woodruff Rotary Club (past president), and Spartanburg Pilots Association - He also served in the South Carolina House of Representatives (District 35), chairing the Judiciary Committee’s Criminal Laws subcommittee, and was vice chairman of the Spartanburg County Delegation’s Sentencing Reform Oversight Committee - Birth place: Keith Kelly is a native of Woodruff, South Carolina. ## 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.sccourts.org/courts/trial-courts/circuit-court/judges/r-keith-kelly/) - [Official roster](https://www.sccourts.org/courts/trial-courts/circuit-court/judges/r-keith-kelly/) - [South Carolina Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.sccourts.org/courts/trial-courts/circuit-court/judges/r-keith-kelly/) - [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) - [R. Keith Kelly](https://www.sccourts.org/courts/trial-courts/circuit-court/judges/r-keith-kelly) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-k-kelly-circuit-court-judge-south-carolina-circuit-court-circuit-7-sc", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-k-kelly-circuit-court-judge-south-carolina-circuit-court-circuit-7-sc", "name": "R. K. Kelly | KnowJudges", "description": "R. K. Kelly, South Carolina Circuit Court, Circuit 7. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-02", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-k-kelly-circuit-court-judge-south-carolina-circuit-court-circuit-7-sc#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/r-k-kelly-circuit-court-judge-south-carolina-circuit-court-circuit-7-sc#judge", "name": "R. K. 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