South Carolina General Assembly
119th Session, 2011-2012

Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

S. 352

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Rose
Document Path: l:\s-jud\bills\rose\jud0064.js.docx

Introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2011
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary

Summary: Judicial candidates

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1/13/2011  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 10)
   1/13/2011  Senate  Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 10)
    1/9/2012  Senate  Referred to Subcommittee: L.Martin (ch), Knotts, 
                        Coleman, Nicholson, Rose

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

1/13/2011

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 2-19-30, SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS, 1976, RELATING TO THE HEARINGS OF JUDICIAL CANDIDATES, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE REOPENING OF THE PUBLIC HEARING WHEN SUFFICIENT CAUSE IS DETERMINED BY THE JUDICIAL MERIT SELECTION COMMISSION AFTER THE CANDIDATE IS FOUND QUALIFIED BUT PRIOR TO THE ISSUANCE OF THE COMMISSION'S REPORT.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 2-19-30(C) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act No. 219, is amended to read:

"(C) A reasonable time thereafter the commission shall render its tentative findings as to whether the candidate is qualified for the office to be filled and its reasons therefor as to each candidate. However, the commission may reopen its public hearing prior to the issuance of its findings regarding a candidate if sufficient cause is determined by the commission for reopening the hearing. Sufficient cause could include, but is not limited to, newly discovered evidence related to the character and fitness of the candidate, which occurred after the public hearing but prior to the commission's issuance of its findings on the candidate. Sufficient cause could also include a request by a majority of the General Assembly to reopen the public hearing on a judicial candidate or a request by a majority of a local delegation to reopen a public hearing for a master-in-equity candidate."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at 10:00 A.M.