Donald W. Beatty

Donald Wayne Beatty (born April 29, 1952) is a former chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court and a former South Carolina state court judge and state representative.

Early life and personal life Beatty was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina on April 29, 1952 to Arthur and Ruth Beatty. He graduated from South Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974, and University of South Carolina with a Juris Doctor degree in 1979. Beatty married Angela D. Chestnut on February 23, 1985. They have three children. He became the court's Chief Justice on January 1, 2017 after being elected to fill the vacancy caused by the mandatory retirement of Chief Justice Costa M. Pleicones.

Expired nomination to federal district court under Obama

On February 25, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Beatty to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, to the seat vacated by Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, who assumed senior status on October 3, 2013. On June 21, 2016, a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on his nomination. On July 14, 2016, his nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote. His nomination expired on January 3, 2017, with the end of the 114th Congress.

Retirement In 2024, Beatty turned 72 years old, which is the mandatory retirement age for judges in South Carolina. As a result, he retired on July 31, 2024, and was replaced as Chief Justice by Judge John W. Kittredge. On June 5, 2024, the South Carolina General Assembly elected Letitia Verdin to replace Kittredge; she was the only candidate still running for Kittredge's seat after two others had dropped out. Beatty's replacement by Verdin changes the South Carolina Supreme Court from having only male judges to having only white judges.