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TO AMEND SECTION 14-5-610, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE DIVISION OF THE STATE INTO SIXTEEN JUDICIAL CIRCUITS, SO AS TO REALIGN THE BOUNDARIES OF CERTAIN CIRCUITS.
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 Section 27, Part II, Act 155 of 1997, is further amended to read:
"Section 14-5-610. (A) 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, Allendale, Bamberg, and Barnwell.
(3) The third circuit is composed of the counties of Berkeley, Clarendon, Lee, Sumter, and Williamsburg.
(4) The fourth circuit is composed of the counties of Chesterfield, Darlington, Lee, Marlboro, and Dillon.
(5) The fifth circuit is composed of the counties county of Kershaw and Richland.
(6) The sixth circuit is composed of the counties of Chester, Kershaw, Lancaster, and Fairfield.
(7) The seventh circuit is composed of the counties county of Cherokee and Spartanburg.
(8) The eighth circuit is composed of the counties of Abbeville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, and Newberry.
(9) The ninth circuit is composed of the counties county of Charleston and Berkeley.
(10) The tenth circuit is composed of the counties of Anderson, and Oconee, and Pickens.
(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 county 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 Cherokee, York, and Union.
(B) One judge must be elected from the second, sixth, and twelfth circuits. Two judges must be elected from the first, third, fourth, seventh, eighth, tenth, eleventh, fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth circuits. Three judges must be elected from the fifth and ninth circuits. Four judges must be elected from the thirteenth circuit.
(C) In addition to the above judges authorized by this section, there must be thirteen 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. 13 respectively."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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