The Hon. R. Scott Sprouse is a judge for the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of South Carolina. He was elected to the bench by the South Carolina General Assembly on May 28, 2014, filling a seat vacated by the Hon. Alexander Stephens Macaulay.
The 10th Judicial Circuit encompasses Anderson County and Oconee County.
Prior to his election, Sprouse was a partner at Stoudemire & Sprouse (previously named Ross, Stoudemire & Sprouse and Ross, Stoudemire, Ballenger & Sprouse), a law firm he joined in 1992. His practice included domestic litigation, criminal defense, and personal injury matters. During his tenure there, he also sat as a municipal judge for the City of Walhalla (1996 to 2014), the Town of Salem (2011 to 2014), the City of Seneca (1998), and the City of West Union (2007 to 2008).
Sprouse earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Clemson University in 1985. He then completed a J.D. at the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1989.
After graduating from law school, Sprouse entered into private practice, working as an associate at Barnes & Smith in Beaufort. He remained with the firm until 1990, at which time he joined the Morgan Law Firm, where he handled various types of general practice cases. Then, in 1991, he opened his own private practice as a sole practitioner, supplementing his practice with service as the City Attorney for the City of Westminster (1992 to 2014).
His memberships have included the South Carolina Bar Association, the Oconee County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the South Carolina Association for Justice, and the South Carolina Summary Court Judges Association. He has also been involved with the Seneca Sertoma Club, and he has coached youth basketball and baseball for the City of Walhalla Recreation Department.
Born in Scottsboro, Alabama, Sprouse was raised in Greenville County, South Carolina. He and his wife, Mary, have two children. The family attends St. John’s Lutheran Church in Walhalla. When not presiding over legal proceedings, Sprouse enjoys reading history and supporting Clemson sports.