Supreme Court Seal
Supreme Court Seal
South Carolina
Judicial Department
Justice D. Garrison Hill

D. Garrison "Gary" Hill was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1964.  His late father, Leo H. Hill, was former president of the South Carolina Bar; his late mother, Dr. Grace L. Hill, was a teacher and school psychologist.  He has a sister, Lillian H. Pinto, and a brother, L. Howard Hill, Jr.

Justice Hill received a B.A. degree magna cum laude from Wofford College in 1986, and his juris doctor from USC Law School in 1989, where he was a member of the South Carolina Law Review.

After graduation from law school, he served as law clerk to Judge Billy Wilkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  From 1990 to 2000, he was a member of Hill, Wyatt & Bannister, a general civil and criminal practice law firm in Greenville.  In 2000, he and his father started Hill & Hill, LLC, which was listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers.  The firm primarily handled business litigation, government law, and public utility law including the representation of numerous special purpose districts throughout the state.

From 2004 to 2017, he served as a resident Circuit Judge for the Thirteenth Circuit.  On February 1, 2017, he was elected to the Court of Appeals. On February 8, 2023, he was elected an associate justice of the Supreme Court. 

Justice Hill served in the House of Delegates of the South Carolina Bar and as president of the Government Law Section.  He is also the former editor-in-chief of the South Carolina Lawyer and the author of several legal articles.  He and his father published Doing the Public's Business, a legal guide designed to assist lay members who serve on the boards of public bodies.

While in private practice, he served on the boards of the Greenville Literacy Association, Greenville Mental Health Association, YMCA Camp Greenville, and as chairman of the City of Greenville Board of Zoning Appeals.

He has three children and is a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Law Clerks: Caroline Ross and Rebecca Depp

Photo of Justice D. Hill
Justice D. Garrison Hill
Supreme Court
1231 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 734-1326