Sheria Clarke

Sheria Akins Clarke (born November 23, 1981) is an American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina since 2026.

Early life and education Clarke was born on November 23, 1981, in Lynchburg, Virginia. She received a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude in psychology in 2003 from Liberty University and her Juris Doctor in 2006 from the University of North Carolina School of Law. From 2007 through 2009, she served as a law clerk for Judges Ann Marie Calabria and Wanda Bryant of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Clarke was a lawyer in private practice with the law firm of Nelson Mullins in Greenville, where she focused on regulatory law, white collar criminal defense, and government investigations. She was then a prosecutor in the United States Department of Justice On February 12, 2026, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Clarke to the seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina vacated by Judge Robert Bryan Harwell. She received her judicial commission on June 18, 2026.