S*0767 Concurrent Resolution, By McConnell, Moore and Ritchie
 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND THE NONLEGISLATIVE MEMBERS OF
 THE JUDICIAL MERIT SELECTION COMMISSION, THE COMMISSION STAFF, AND THE MEMBERS
 OF THE CITIZENS COMMITTEES ON JUDICIAL QUALIFICATIONS ON THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
 OF HISTORIC LEGISLATION REFORMING THE JUDICIAL SELECTION PROCESS FOR THE
 EXEMPLARY SERVICE THEY PERFORM IN EVALUATING THE QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTER
 OF CANDIDATES FOR JUDICIAL OFFICE IN THE STATE.

   06/28/01  Senate Introduced, adopted, sent to House SJ-41
   06/28/01  House  Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence

TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND THE NONLEGISLATIVE MEMBERS OF THE JUDICIAL MERIT SELECTION COMMISSION, THE COMMISSION STAFF, AND THE MEMBERS OF THE CITIZENS COMMITTEES ON JUDICIAL QUALIFICATIONS ON THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC LEGISLATION REFORMING THE JUDICIAL SELECTION PROCESS FOR THE EXEMPLARY SERVICE THEY PERFORM IN EVALUATING THE QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTER OF CANDIDATES FOR JUDICIAL OFFICE IN THE STATE.

Whereas, the Judicial Merit Selection Commission is charged by law with considering the qualifications of candidates for the state's judiciary. The Commission operates under a law, passed in 1996 and which went into effect July 1, 1997, which dramatically changed the process of evaluating candidates; and

Whereas, the Judicial Merit Selection Commission is composed of ten members, four of whom are nonlegislators. Its current membership is Senator Glenn F. McConnell, Chairman, Representative F. Greg Delleney, Jr., Vice-Chairman, Senator Thomas L. Moore, Senator James H. Ritchie, Jr., Representative James G. McGee III, Representative Fletcher N. Smith, Jr., Judge Curtis G. Shaw, Amy Johnson McLester, Richard S. "Nick" Fisher, and John P. Freeman. Former members of the Commission include Dr. Harry M. Lightsey, Jr., Irma R. Pringle, Senator Edward E. Saleeby, Representative Doug Smith, and former Representative Ralph W. Canty; and

Whereas, the Commission believes that all South Carolinians should have a voice in the selection of the state's judges. This desire for broad-based grassroots participation led the Commission to create five regional Citizens Committees on Judicial Qualifications; and

Whereas, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of judicial reform, it bears emphasizing that the Commission and its citizens committees have screened over two hundred twenty-seven candidates. Other states and even foreign governments such as Japan have studied South Carolina's judicial merit selection process. The process has been hailed by experts and the media as being very successful; and

Whereas, this selection process maintains two key characteristics -- a strong merit selection component while retaining the ability of the people's directly elected representatives to elect judges; and

Whereas, the system succeeds because of the dedication and tireless service of three groups: the above-named members of the Commission, the staff of the Commission who are Michael N. Couick, Chief Counsel, Ashley Harwell-Beach, Swati N. Shah, and Benjamin Mustian, House of Representatives Counsel, Erin B. Crawford, Senate Counsel, and Gayle Addy, Administrative Assistant, and the members of the citizens committees; and

Whereas, the members of the Lowcountry Citizens Committee are Robert M. "Mike" Hammond, DeAnna S. Trout, Elaine Murray, Frederick W. Riesen, Jr., Kenneth Riley, Irene McCollom, Isaac M. "Duffie" Stone III, and Angela Mullholland. Former members are Anthony B. O'Neill and George H. O'Kelley; and

Whereas, the members of the Midlands Citizens Committee are William L. "Bill" Turbeville, Jr., Robert M. Bell, Lauren Sutton, Lessie Price, Fannie S. Johnson, Kay Mixon, Robert A. Muckenfuss, and Nancy M. Moody. Former members are Elizabeth "Betsy" Gray, Reginald I. Lloyd, Raymond S. Caughman, and Ina Arlean Graves; and

Whereas, serving as the Pee Dee Citizens Committee are Mary Ruth Baxter, James Brown, Robert Fleming, Janet R. Lynam, James Fitts, Paige B. Sawyer III, and Kernard Edward Redmond. John O. McDougall is a past member; and

Whereas, the Piedmont Citizens Committee is made up of Cherie Mabrey, Charles A. Montgomery, Cookie Washington, Grady Phillips, and Libby Sweatt-Lambert. Former members are Robert F. Ledet, Daniel L. Byers, and Juanita K. Carmichael; and

Whereas, the membership of the Upstate Citizens Committee is John W. Tucker, Jr., Dorothy Laney, Charlotte M. Lynch, C. Ross Turner III, Ronald A. Jones, Nancy Jo Thomason, Diane Daane, and S. Mitchell Slade, Jr. William L. Mullen, Jr. is a past member; and

Whereas, it is appropriate for the members of the General Assembly to express their deepest gratitude to the nonlegislators who serve on the Commission and the Commission staff who have contributed to the great success of the judicial merit selection process and, in particular, to recognize the dedicated and selfless volunteer public service work of the members of the citizens committees. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize and commend the nonlegislative members of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, the Commission staff, and the members of the Citizens Committees on Judicial Qualifications on the fifth anniversary of historic legislation reforming the judicial selection process for the exemplary service they perform in evaluating the qualifications and character of candidates for judicial office in the State.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to each member of the five regional Citizens Committees on Judicial Qualifications and to each member of the Commission staff.