Judge Courtney Clyburn Pope was born in Aiken, South Carolina in 1979. She is the daughter of William and Councilwoman Beverly Clyburn. Her father is a retired principal and Workers Compensation Commissioner and her mother is retired school counselor.

Judge Clyburn Pope graduated from South Aiken High School in 1997. Upon graduation, she attended the University of South Carolina, where she graduated in 2001 with a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication.

After USC, she worked doing public relations at a state agency. After three years, Judge Clyburn Pope decided to pursue a career in law. She attended the University of South Carolina's School of Law and received her Juris Doctor in 2007. After graduating from law school, she worked at McAngus, Goudelock, and Courie practicing workers compensation defense. In 2010, she and law partner, Jason M. Price, started their own private practice, Clyburn Pope & Price, LLC. In 2016, Judge Clyburn Pope worked as Prosecutor and City Attorney for the City of Aiken until being elected to the Bench.

Judge Clyburn Pope is married to Coach George W. Pope, III and they have three children. She is a member of Links, Incorporated and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She enjoys, running, cycling, and Judge Clyburn Pope was elected by the South Carolina General Assembly on May 8, 2019.