Palmetto Freedom Agenda 2025-26
FINISH JUDICIAL REFORMS
Magistrates Must Be Professionals
The 2024 judicial reform bill was an important win for breaking up the good ole boy system, but it left out the bench most in need of reform: South Carolina’s magistrate courts.
These Summary Court Judges interact with the public more than any other any court, but they have scandalously low training requirements. A good start would be to eliminate magistrates’ indefinite holdover status, bring more transparency into their selection process including Senate confirmation votes on the record, and require greater training for non-lawyer magistrates.
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