Congressman Trey Gowdy has announced he will not seek reelection, Reid Epstein reports for the WSJ.

On Wednesday, Mr. Gowdy said he would be "returning to the justice system."

"I will not be filing for re-election to Congress nor seeking any other political or elected office," he said. "Whatever skills I may have are better utilized in a courtroom than in Congress, and I enjoy our justice system more than our political system."

Surely he is not worried about reelection if he chose to run.  His district is solidly Republican.  He must have something else in mind.

Hmmm.  "Returning to the justice system," but not any "political or elected office."  The latter rules out his old job as local prosecutor or a run for state attorney general, which are both elected offices.  The federal judicial vacancy website lists one current vacancy on the Fourth Circuit with no nominee and one upcoming vacancy.  There is a South Carolina District Court vacancy, but it has a nominee already.

Does Mr. Gowdy have his eye on the Fourth?  He would be a definite improvement to a court that has gone downhill lately.