The Honorable Gina J. McAlhany graduated from the College of Charleston earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. In 1993, Judge McAlhany received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar the same year.

Judge McAlhany opened her law firm in Summerville, where she practiced family law for the entirety of her legal career. During her years of practice, Judge McAlhany served as the Dorchester County DSS attorney for the abuse and neglect cases, as well as the attorney for the Dorchester County Volunteer Guardian ad Litem Program through the South Carolina Governor’s Office in abuse and neglect cases. Until her election, and for nearly all her years of practice, Judge McAlhany served as a public defender through the First Judicial Circuit representing juveniles in Family Court. In 1999, Judge McAlhany became a certified family court mediator, maintaining a mediation practice until her election.

Judge McAlhany was awarded the South Carolina Juvenile Defender of the Year by the South Carolina Public Defender Association in 2010. Judge McAlhany is a current member of the South Carolina Family Law American Inn of Court.

Judge McAlhany was elected by the South Carolina Legislature as a Family Court Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Seat Six, on April 17, 2024.

Judge McAlhany began her service on the bench on May 13, 2024.