South Carolina Court of Appeals
The South Carolina Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in South Carolina. The Court of Appeals was established on September 1, 1983. It generally consists of a chief judge and eight associate judges who are elected by the state legislature for six-year terms. The court hears cases either as a small panel of three judges or as a whole, and it may hear oral arguments and motions in any county of the state.[1]
- Published opinions of the South Carolina Court of Appeals can be found here.
| South Carolina Court of Appeals | |||
 | |||
| Court information | |||
| Judges: | 9 | ||
| Founded: | 1983 | ||
| Salary: | Associates: $223,300[2] | ||
| Judicial selection | |||
| Method: | Legislative elections | ||
| Term: | 6 years | ||
Judges
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
February 6, 2008 - Present |
South Carolina General Assembly |
|
|
July 31, 2008 - Present |
South Carolina General Assembly |
|
|
June 18, 2007 - Present |
South Carolina General Assembly |
|
|
May 28, 2014 - Present |
South Carolina General Assembly |
|
|
January 1, 2022 - Present |
South Carolina General Assembly |
|
|
June 3, 2004 - Present |
South Carolina General Assembly |
|
|
January 1, 2020 - Present |
South Carolina General Assembly |
|
|
November 4, 2024 - Present |
South Carolina General Assembly |
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in South Carolina
The nine judges of the court of appeals are appointed by the South Carolina Legislature to serve on the bench. The South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission screens and selects candidates for judgeships and then submits a list of three names to the General Assembly. The assembly then votes on the candidates, either choosing one of the three recommendations or rejecting the entire slate.[3][4]
Appeals court judges serve six-year terms. Upon finishing their terms, judges are subject to re-election by the legislature.[4]
Chief judge
The court of appeals chooses its chief judge by the same legislative election process used to select other judges. The chief serves in that capacity for six years.[4]
Qualifications
To serve on the circuit court, a judge must be:
- a U.S. citizen;
- between the ages of 32 and 72*;
- a resident of the state for at least five years; and
- licensed as an attorney for at least eight years.[4]
*A judge who reaches the age of 72 in office must retire by the end of that calendar year.[5]
Vacancies
If a judge leaves office before the end of his or her term, the vacancy is usually filled by legislative election. The appointee serves until the end of his or her predecessor's unexpired term, at which point he must be re-elected by the South Carolina General Assembly to remain on the court. If less than a year remains in an unexpired term, the governor has the option to appoint someone to the unexpired term instead.[4]
Salary
In 2024, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $223,300, according to the National Center for State Courts.[6]
Ethics
The South Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in South Carolina. It is composed of five canons:
- Canon 1: "A Judge Shall Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary"
- Canon 2: "A Judge Shall Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All of the Judge's Activities"
- Canon 3: "A Judge Shall Perform the Duties of Judicial Office Impartially and Diligently"
- Canon 4: "A Judge Shall So Conduct the Judge's Extra-Judicial Activities as to Minimize the Risk of Conflict With Judicial Obligations"
- Canon 5: "A Judge or Judicial Candidate Shall Refrain From Inappropriate Political Activity"[7]
The full text of the South Carolina Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.
Removal of judges
Judges in South Carolina may be removed in one of three ways:
- Dismissal, transfer to inactive status, retirement or removal by the supreme court, after recommendation from the commission on judicial conduct
- Conviction by a two-thirds vote of the senate, following impeachment by a two-thirds vote of the house of representatives
- Removal by the governor, upon the address of two-thirds of each house of the General Assembly[8]
State profile
| Demographic data for South Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 4,894,834 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 30,061 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 67.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 27.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 5.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85.6% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 25.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $45,483 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 22% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in South Carolina. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
South Carolina voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in South Carolina, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[9]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. South Carolina had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More South Carolina coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in South Carolina
- United States congressional delegations from South Carolina
- Public policy in South Carolina
- Endorsers in South Carolina
- South Carolina fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ South Carolina Court of Appeals
- ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
- ↑ Albany Law Review, "The Untouchables: The Impact of South Carolina's New Judicial Selection System on the South Carolina Supreme Court, 1997-2003," June 30, 2004
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: South Carolina," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ The South Carolina Office of the Attorney General, "To the Honorable Victor A. Rawl," June 7, 2004
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "2024 Salaries and Rankings," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ South Carolina Judicial Department, "Court Register - Table of Contents," accessed August 1, 2015
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: South Carolina, Removal of Judges," accessed August 1, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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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
