Late in the day June 26, the Conference Committee on S.1046, South Carolina’s judicial reform bill, reached an agreement on the final text to be sent to the Governor. Shortly thereafter, both legislative chambers approved the conference report unanimously. The bill now goes to Governor McMaster’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into
Palmetto Promise Policy Analyst Felicity Ropp is quoted in this article from the Center Square by Todd DeFeo. (The Center Square) — South Carolina lawmakers have approved a version of a judicial reform measure following months of back-and-forth debate. S. 1046, passed during this month’s special session, ostensibly increases transparency and accountability by changing how
Palmetto Promise Policy Analyst Felicity Ropp is quoted in this article from the Center Square by T.A. Defoe. (The Center Square) — A legislative conference committee will soon hash out differences in a measure to reform South Carolina’s Judicial Merit Selection Commission. Last week, the South Carolina House passed S. 1046, a bill reforming the
Palmetto Promise Policy Analyst Felicity Ropp was quoted in this article by T.A. Defoe in the Center Square. (The Center Square) — The South Carolina House passed a bill to reform the state’s Judicial Merit Selection Commission, changes that stem from the Ad Hoc Committee to Examine the Judicial Selection and Retention Process House Speaker
UPDATE: The SC House overwhelmingly passed S.1046, amended as outlined below. The Senate did not concur in those amendments, and the bill now heads to a Conference Committee, made up of Senators Rankin, Massey, and Malloy and Representatives W. Newton, Caskey, and Stavrinakis. At the end of March 2024, following two weeks of debate and
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.
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.
This week, the South Carolina House of Representatives took a substantial step toward judicial reform in the Palmetto State.
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.
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?
