As the longest-serving state court judge in South Carolina history and serving as the second female member of the South Carolina Supreme Court from 2009-2023, Justice Kaye Hearn has paved the way for generations of women in the South Carolina legal system. 

During Justice Hearn’s time on the Supreme Court, she authored countless opinions on landmark cases that continue to shape South Carolina law. As the high court’s lone female justice, she wrote the majority opinion overturning the state’s 2021 six-week abortion ban, which was reinstated upon her retirement by an all-male South Carolina Supreme Court.

Join an evening of conversation and reflections on the past, present, and future of South Carolina’s judicial system with Justice Hearn and Furman Politics and International Affairs faculty.