Current:Home > BackVotes on dozens of new judges will have to wait in South Carolina-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Votes on dozens of new judges will have to wait in South Carolina
View Date:2024-12-23 19:19:10
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Dozens of open judgeships throughout the South Carolina courts will go unfilled amid an unresolved debate over the state’s system of judicial selection.
The South Carolina Senate ended Tuesday without approving a House resolution to set Feb. 7 as the date when both chambers vote to fill upcoming vacancies in the judiciary. That means it will be a while longer before key positions are decided, including the next chief justice of the state Supreme Court.
South Carolina is one of two states where the legislature holds almost complete power in picking judges, as opposed to voters or the governor. Lawmakers consider a pool of up to three candidates who have been deemed qualified by a 10-person Judicial Merit Selection Commission, and candidates must then get a majority of votes during a joint session of the General Assembly.
Some officials have taken aim at the system in the past year, saying it gives undue sway to legislators who also practice law. Critics says it lets “lawyer-legislators” handpick the people who will hear their clients’ cases, giving them an unfair advantage in the courtroom and undermining public trust.
Republican Sen. Wes Climer vowed in the fall to block all judicial elections until the General Assembly addresses the issue, citing a need to give a “meaningful role” to the executive branch and curb the influence of “lawyer-legislators.”
But he expressed optimism Tuesday that changes will be made before the session ends in May.
“Then the question about when and whether we have judicial elections goes by the wayside,” Climer told the Associated Press.
A Senate committee discussed a slate of bills in the afternoon that would restructure the Judicial Merit Selection Commission and empower the governor.
A House subcommittee released 16 recommendations last week, including adding appointments from the governor to the screening commission and establishing term limits for its members.
Notably, to some lawmakers, the list did not mention removing “lawyer-legislators” from the Judicial Merit Selection Commission.
“What we’re trying to do is craft something that can move the ball forward and be successful at the same time,” Republican Rep. Tommy Pope, who chaired the group, said last month.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Lions find way to win, Bears in tough spot: Best (and worst) from NFL Week 10
- Christie says DeSantis put ‘politics ahead of his job’ by not seeing Biden during hurricane visit
- Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner and when divorce gossip won't quit
- 'Holly' is one of Stephen King's most political novels to date
- It's about to be Red Cup Day at Starbucks. When is it and how to get the free coffee swag?
- Honorary Oscars event celebrating Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks pushed back amid Hollywood strikes
- Coco Gauff reaches her first US Open semifinal at 19. Ben Shelton gets to his first at 20
- Suspect sought after multiple Michigan State Police patrol vehicles are shot and set on fire
- Study finds Wisconsin voters approved a record number of school referenda
- Elon Musk threatens to sue Anti-Defamation League over antisemitism claims
Ranking
- Stop What You're Doing—Moo Deng Just Dropped Her First Single
- SafeSport Center ‘in potential crisis’ according to panel’s survey of Olympic system
- Order not to use tap water in West Virginia community enters fourth week after plant malfunction
- Horoscopes Today, September 6, 2023
- Jennifer Garner and Boyfriend John Miller Are All Smiles In Rare Public Outing
- Shuttered EPA investigation could’ve brought ‘meaningful reform’ in Cancer Alley, documents show
- Lidcoin: Bear and early bull markets are good times to build positions
- North Carolina appeals court says bars’ challenges of governor’s COVID-19 restrictions can continue
Recommendation
-
Mark Zuckerberg Records NSFW Song Get Low for Priscilla Chan on Anniversary
-
Rams WR Cooper Kupp out for NFL Week 1 opener vs. Seahawks
-
TikToker went viral after man stole her shoes on date: What it says about how we get even
-
Marlins' Sandy Alcantara, reigning NL Cy Young winner, likely out for year with arm injury
-
Natural gas flares sparked 2 wildfires in North Dakota, state agency says
-
Joe Jonas files for divorce from Sophie Turner after 4 years of marriage: 'Irretrievably broken'
-
Burning Man is ending, but the cleanup from heavy flooding is far from over
-
A Trump backer has a narrow lead in Utah’s congressional primary, buoyed by strong rural support