23. REPAIR THE
LEGAL SYSTEM
It is time for a meaningful round of tort reform
and judicial selection reform. It only makes
sense that a jury verdict form should allow jurors
to assign liability across all parties where a tort
has occurred, including the plaintiff.
The Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC), currently consisting mostly of lawyer-legislators,
should include more citizens and JMSC screening should advance all qualified candidatess for a seat on the bench to give the legislature more choices.
READ OUR JUDICIAL REFORM REPORTS
Judicial Reform Lives, with House now Considering Senate Bill
April 29, 2024
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UPDATE: On May 7, SC House overwhelmingly voted to pass S.1046 as amended by the House Judiciary Committee. At the end of March 2024, following
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Our Top 10 Recommendations for 2024 Judicial Reform
March 19, 2024
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It is the spring of judicial reform in the South Carolina Statehouse. We have analyzed the major bills being considered by the House and the Senate, and, drawing on our previous judicial reform reports like 2021’s Judging the Judges, our team has compiled our top 10 priorities we think the General Assembly ought to include in any judicial reform bill that passes this spring.
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Judicial Reform on the Horizon: Comparing the House and Senate’s Proposals
March 19, 2024
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It is the spring of judicial reform in the South Carolina Statehouse. This legislative analysis compares and contrasts these two major bills, in light of Palmetto Promise’s previous positions on judicial reform, most notably our January 2021 Judging the Judges report.
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SC House Making Progress on Judicial Reform
February 1, 2024
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This week, the South Carolina House of Representatives took a substantial step toward judicial reform in the Palmetto State.
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What can be done to fix South Carolina’s broken magistrate system
July 8, 2021
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South Carolina’s magistrate system is broken. Reporting by Joseph Cranney of The Post and Courier in 2019 revealed a system of corrupt appointments, insufficient legal training, and consistent miscarriages of justice by magistrates in South Carolina’s summary courts.
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Fast Facts: A Review of South Carolina’s Judicial Selection Process
January 8, 2021
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Read our new fast fact sheet to answer the following questions: How do we vet and elect our judges in South Carolina? How can we make sure our process in the Palmetto State prevents black-robed legislating?
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