Current Status Introducing Body:Senate Bill Number:620 Primary Sponsor:Peeler Committee Number:11 Type of Legislation:GB Subject:Judicial circuit judges Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Judiciary Computer Document Number:620 Introduced Date:Feb 07, 1991 Last History Body:Senate Last History Date:Feb 07, 1991 Last History Type:Introduced, read first time, referred to Committee Scope of Legislation:Statewide All Sponsors:Peeler Type of Legislation:General Bill
Bill Body Date Action Description CMN
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620 Senate Feb 07, 1991 Introduced, read first time, 11
referred to Committee
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TO AMEND SECTION 14-5-610, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE JUDICIAL CIRCUITS OF THIS STATE AND THE JUDGES FOR THESE CIRCUITS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT WHERE TWO OR MORE RESIDENT JUDGES ARE AUTHORIZED FOR ANY CIRCUIT, AT LEAST ONE MUST BE A RESIDENT OF A COUNTY IN THE CIRCUIT WITHOUT THE LARGEST POPULATION.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 14-5-610 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 610 of 1990, is further amended to read:
"Section 14-5-610. The State is divided into sixteen judicial circuits as follows:
(1) The first circuit is composed of the counties of Calhoun, Dorchester, and Orangeburg.
(2) The second circuit is composed of the counties of Aiken, Bamberg, and Barnwell.
(3) The third circuit is composed of the counties of Clarendon, Lee, Sumter, and Williamsburg.
(4) The fourth circuit is composed of the counties of Chesterfield, Darlington, Marlboro, and Dillon.
(5) The fifth circuit is composed of the counties of Kershaw and Richland.
(6) The sixth circuit is composed of the counties of Chester, Lancaster, and Fairfield.
(7) The seventh circuit is composed of the counties of Cherokee and Spartanburg.
(8) The eighth circuit is composed of the counties of Abbeville, Greenwood, Laurens, and Newberry.
(9) The ninth circuit is composed of the counties of Charleston and Berkeley.
(10) The tenth circuit is composed of the counties of Anderson and Oconee.
(11) The eleventh circuit is composed of the counties of Lexington, McCormick, Saluda, and Edgefield.
(12) The twelfth circuit is composed of the counties of Florence and Marion.
(13) The thirteenth circuit is composed of the counties of Greenville and Pickens.
(14) The fourteenth circuit is composed of the counties of Allendale, Hampton, Colleton, Jasper, and Beaufort.
(15) The fifteenth circuit is composed of the counties of Georgetown and Horry.
(16) The sixteenth circuit is composed of the counties of York and Union.
One judge must be elected from the first, second, sixth, twelfth, and sixteenth circuits. Two judges must be elected from the third, fourth, seventh, eighth, tenth, eleventh, fourteenth, and fifteenth circuits. Three judges must be elected from the fifth, ninth, and thirteenth circuits. Where two or more resident judges are authorized for a circuit, at least one must be a resident of a county in the circuit without the largest population.
In addition to the above judges authorized by this section, there must be ten additional circuit judges elected by the General Assembly from the State at large for terms of office of six years. These additional judges must be elected without regard to county or circuit of residence. Each office of the at-large judges is a separate office and is assigned numerical designations of Seat No. 1 through Seat No. 10 respectively."
SECTION 2. The provisions of Section 14-5-610 of the 1976 Code, as amended by Section 1 of this act, do not apply to any circuit judges serving in office on the effective date of this act, to any circuit judges which the General Assembly has elected but who have not taken office on the effective date of this act, and to any subsequent reelections of these judges.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.