Judge regarded as 'fair'

Retired judge is a South Carolina native, Clemson grad

by Cindy Landrum

Judge James C. Williams grows soybeans and sod on his farm in Norway, a town of about 400 people near Orangeburg, has a lighted 3,700-foot grass air strip in his front yard on which to land his Piper Cherokee Six airplane and owns a house on Lake Keowee.

The South Carolina native who will turn 66 next month graduated from Clemson University in 1965 with a degree in dairy science and went back home to Norway to work on the family dairy farm. Later, he raised hogs.

Published: Nov. 22, 2009, 4:27 p.m.

He served on the Norway Town Council from 1968 to 1975, was elected mayor in 1976 and after serving five years returned to council for another eight years. In the meantime, he took the law school admissions test after a bet from a friend when he was 34. Williams commuted the 40 miles to the University of South Carolina Law School in Columbia while working the farm. He graduated in 1979.

After spending 10 years in private practice, he went to work for the First Circuit Solicitors Office, building a reputation for working hard and clearing cases.

He’s been on the bench since 1998.

Williams retired in January, a decision he said was made in part so he could spend more time in the Upstate.

As an active retired judge, Williams is on the bench three weeks a month instead of the full-time four weeks. He said being retired gives him a bit more say in his schedule.

David Pascoe, solicitor for the First Circuit which includes Orangeburg, Dorchester and Calhoun counties, called Williams “without question one of the well-respected judges in the state.”

“He’s regarded by both sides of the bar, the defense and the prosecution, as one of the fairest in the state,” he said.

Pascoe said Williams is a judge who bases his decisions on what he hears in court and comes down hard on defendants who do not take responsibility for their crimes.

“If somebody’s convicted and does not take responsibility, wave him goodbye,” Pascoe said. “He comes down like a hammer.”

Williams said his five and a half years as a prosecutor has helped him as a judge.

“I understand the system from both sides,” he said.

According to Wiliams’ last judicial evaluation in 2008 from the South Carolina Bar, he drew generally strong reviews for his knowledge of the law, trial management and avoidance of bias.

Attorneys complete the evaluations.

Almost 12 percent of the lawyers surveyed said he favors prosecutors and is influenced by the reputations of lawyers.

He is a fervent Clemson Tigers football fan and teaches an adult Sunday school class at Denmark First Baptist Church.

Staff Writer John Boyanoski contributed to this report.

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