Jessica Ann Salvini was born in Upland, California in 1975.  Her mother, Hazel L. Salvini, nee Shelly, is a former nurse and homemaker.  Her father, John M. Salvini, is retired from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) where he worked for 57 years.  Her mother’s family has been in California over 100 years, and her father’s parents immigrated to California from Italy and Croatia.

Judge Salvini grew up in the Inland Empire of Southern California in San Bernardino Valley.  She is the oldest of four sisters.  She graduated from Fontana High School in 1993, earned her BA in Political Science with a Minor in History from the University of California Riverside in 1997.  Inspired by her childhood dreams of becoming a judge, she began law school at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, California with a focus on trial advocacy.  She received her JD in 2000 along with a certificate of distinction in litigation and recognition for her achievements in the art and science of advocacy.

Judge Salvini was admitted to the California Bar in 2000 and opened her own law firm where she was also admitted to practice in the US District Court for the Northern District of California and the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. ’She practiced in northern California for two years, focusing primarily on litigation in the civil, family, and criminal courts.

Admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 2001, Judge Salvini moved to South Carolina in 2002 where she was admitted to practice in the US District Court for the District of South Carolina as well as the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  She started a law firm, and was senior partner from its inception until her election to the Family Court Bench in 2019.  Judge Salvini's practice continued to involve litigation in the civil, family, and criminal courts of South Carolina.

In addition to her practice, Judge Salvini was appointed to serve as an Associate Municipal Court Judge for the City of Mauldin in 2007, and became the Chief Trial Judge for the City of Mauldin in 2009.  Judge Salvini's time as Chief Judge for the City of Mauldin reinforced her desire to contribute to society on the bench.  She is devoted to providing a Court that is fair and civil to all who appear before the bar of justice.