Breaking Barriers!
Jasmine Twitty had always wanted to serve, growing up in Greenville, South Carolina opened her eyes to the amazing influence of power figures including presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm.
“These are people in power, and they have the influence to shape society and the laws that govern our everyday lives. I want to do that!” she told herself. But she didn’t set her mind towards becoming a judge until after college.
Her interest pushed her to take up work in bond court, there she worked towards judgeship, it paid off after years of dedication and hard work, in 2015, at age 25, Twitty officially made history as the youngest judge to ever be appointed or elected in the United States upon being sworn in as an Associate Judge of the municipal court for the city of Easley, South Carolina.
“The day I was sworn in felt surreal,” she said in an interview in 2016. “My job is to oversee the initial proceeding in a criminal case. As a judge, I must remain impartial, not get emotionally involved. I had to learn that early on, working in night court, seeing what things people are capable of.”
The position of being a black judge for the municipal court in Easley, South Carolina—a predominately white town brought up its own set of challenges, however given her wide range of experiences working long hours as a night clerk for a bond court, she was able to pull through.
Twitty owes her inspiration to her mother, a dedicated social worker, who raised her to be of service to her communities.
Upon graduation from College of Charleston in 2010, with her BA in Political Science, she knew she was ready to work in public service. Twitty then applied for a clerk position at the Greenville County Bond Court. “My job was to coordinate bond hearings and deal with paperwork. The hours were long, but I was excited. I was the youngest person there and asked 1001 questions a day,” she said.
After attaining the feat of America’s youngest judge in 2015, Four years later, she was appointed as a municipal judge and lead judicial officer for the City of Travelers Rest, SC.
Twitty, now 31, explained to Forbes this October how she improves her work-life balance. “My mental clarity comes from diet and exercise, and from truly unplugging when I’m off work. That can come from travel or food experiences, or even just silencing my phones when I’m at home. I’m also particular about the spaces I put myself in and the people I surround myself with.”
Twitty, is a Board Member of Upstate Network and co-founder of her local chapter of LeadHER, where she been empowering women in career development. She has earned several recognitions including being named South Carolina Top 20 Under 40, Honorary Georgia Citizen, and Talented Tenth Top 10 Young Professional.
