Senate confirms Trump-nominated Greenville attorney as newest SC federal judge

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed a Greenville attorney as the newest judge in the U.S. District Court of South Carolina, adding diversity to the state’s federal bench.

Sheria Clarke, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in February, secured the lifetime judicial appointment with a 52-38 vote.

The “yes” votes to confirm her included eight Democrats. Five senators were present but didn’t vote.

Both of South Carolina’s GOP senators, Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, applauded her confirmation.

“With extraordinary credentials, an impeccable character and a deep commitment to the rule of law, Ms. Clarke is exactly the kind of person who should be a federal judge,” Graham said in a written statement, noting the bipartisan support.

Scott congratulated her on social media.

“Her integrity, strong work ethic, and commitment to public service leave me no doubt that she will continue to uphold the rule of law and serve the people of South Carolina with excellence,” he wrote on X.

Before Clarke, 44, can assume her judicial role, she must first receive a “commission,” a document signed by the president that makes her appointment official. She would then take the oath of office. 

The president nominated Clarke to replace Judge Bryan Harwell, who went into “senior status,” or semi-retirement, in June 2024. She is Trump’s fifth federal judge appointee in South Carolina since his first term, according to Federal Judicial Center data.

Trump’s judge nominee, who would add diversity to SC’s federal bench, headed to final Senate vote

Clarke is only the sixth Black judge to sit in the U.S. District Court bench in South Carolina, the judicial center’s records show.

The first was Matthew J. Perry, confirmed in 1979, the namesake of the federal courthouse in Columbia.

That’s where Clarke has been assigned, according to a U.S. District Court spokesperson.

Clarke will add a third racial minority to the district’s 10 active judges. 

A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, Clarke earned her bachelor’s degree from Liberty University, a private Christian college in Lynchburg, and her law degree from the University of North Carolina.

Earlier this year, she became partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, one of South Carolina’s biggest law firms. She was a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Greenville from 2021 to 2024, when she rejoined Nelson Mullin’s Greenville office.

Prior to January 2019, when she first joined the law firm, she worked for 10 years on several committees at the U.S. House of Representatives.

She also co-taught classes at Wofford College from 2020 to 2023 with former U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, a Spartanburg Republican. The classes were titled “Criminal Justice and Due Process” and “Congress and Political Parties.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with Clarke’s court assignment.