Jean Hoefer Toal

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Jean Hoefer Toal
Image of Jean Hoefer Toal

Nonpartisan

Prior offices
South Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice

Education

Bachelor's

Agnes Scott College, 1965

Law

University of South Carolina School of Law, 1968

Personal
Religion
Christian: Catholic

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Jean Hoefer Toal is the former chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. Toal first began serving as an associate justice on the court on March 17, 1988. She was re-elected in February of 1996 and was elected chief justice on March 23, 2000. She served out the remainder her predecessor's term before being re-elected in February of 2004. Toal was installed as chief justice on June 9, 2004, for another 10-year term.[1]

She was re-elected to another term as chief justice on February 5, 2014, and was allowed to serve until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 72 in 2015.[2][3]

Toal was the first woman, and the first Roman Catholic, to serve as a justice or chief justice of the court.[1]

Education

Toal received her B.A. in philosophy from Agnes Scott College in 1965. She was awarded a J.D. from the University of South Carolina Law School in 1968.[4]

Career

Prior to serving on the South Carolina Supreme Court, Toal practiced law. In addition, she served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1975 to 1988.[1]

Noteworthy events

Historic battle for chief justice seat ends uneventfully

South Carolina's judges and justices are chosen by legislative election, and incumbents are generally re-elected. So when associate justice Costa Pleicones announced he was running against the current chief justice, Jean Toal, to serve as chief justice of the state supreme court, many in the state were reportedly caught off-guard. Generally, experts say even if a candidate mounts a challenge against a sitting judge or justice, they will first lobby behind the scenes to see if they have the votes needed to win. If they can't garner enough votes, they'll generally bow out of the contest and eliminate the need for a formal vote.[2]

Toal became chief justice in 2000. She first joined the court in 1988 at the age of 44. She is also one of the longest-serving chief justices on the court, going back to at least 1868.[5]

Historically, the oldest justice on the court serves as chief, though they generally step aside at or near retirement. Toal won a majority of the votes; however, those who voted against her felt the court was ready for a change of leadership. The need for a vote came as a surprise to many. Several lawmakers indicated the decision on whom to vote for was a difficult one.[2]

According to Pleicones, he decided to run against Toal as both of them approached mandatory retirement age. Toal's 72nd birthday was August 11, 2015. She retired at the end of 2015, while Pleicones retired in 2016.[6] He made clear that he intended to run for chief judge again after Toal's retirement.[5] Toal indicated she wanted to continue overseeing projects she instituted to help improve efficiency on the court. Toal and Pleicones both pledged to continue working together on the court following the vote.[5]

Awards and associations

Awards

  • 2011: Recipient, Jurist of the Year Award, SEABOTA[7]
  • Recipient, Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education, National Center for State Courts[8]
  • Recipient, Pursuit of justice award, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association[9]
  • 1995: Outstanding Contribution to Justice Award, South Carolina Trial Lawyers
  • Honorary Doctorate, University of South Carolina
  • Honorary Doctorate, Francis Marion University
  • Honorary Doctorate, The Citadel
  • Honorary Doctorate, Columbia College
  • Honorary Doctorate, College of Charleston
  • Honorary Doctorate, Charleston School of Law
  • Honorary Doctorate, Converse College

Associations

  • Member, John Belton O'Neall Inn of Court
  • Past president, Conference of Chief Justices
  • Past chair, Board of directors, National Center for State Courts[1]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 South Carolina Supreme Court, "Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal," accessed August 22, 2014
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The State, "5 judges seek seat on S.C. Supreme Court," August 17, 2015
  3. ↑ Jeffrey Collins, Lexington Herald Leader, "SC Chief Justice Jean Toal faces mandatory retirement," December 25, 2015
  4. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal (SC)"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Island Packet, "Toal wins historic duel for SC chief justice post," February 5, 2014
  6. ↑ South Carolina Supreme Court, "Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal," accessed November 6, 2015
  7. ↑ South Carolina Judicial Department, "Chief Justice Toal receives the 2011 Jurist of the Year Award given by the Southeastern Region of the American Board of Trial Advocates (SEABOTA)," May 2, 2011
  8. ↑ South Carolina Judicial Department Press Release, "S.C. Chief Justice Selected First Recipient of Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Advancement of Civics Education," February 28, 2011
  9. ↑ American Bar Association, "South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal To Receive Pursuit Of Justice Award," October 2, 2008

South Carolina courts

Federal courts:

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of South Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of South Carolina

State courts:

South Carolina Supreme Court • South Carolina Court of Appeals • South Carolina Circuit Courts • South Carolina Masters-in-Equity • South Carolina Family Courts • South Carolina Magistrate Courts • South Carolina Municipal Courts • South Carolina Probate Courts

State resources:

Courts in South Carolina • South Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in South Carolina

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