South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

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S. 336

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Alexander, Massey and Rankin
Document Path: SR-0018CEM25.docx

Introduced in the Senate on February 12, 2025
Introduced in the House on March 27, 2025
Last Amended on March 20, 2025
Passed by the General Assembly on January 30, 2026

Summary: Judicial Elections

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date Body Action Description with journal page number
2/12/2025 Senate Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 3)
2/12/2025 Senate Referred to Committee on Judiciary (Senate Journal-page 3)
2/27/2025 Senate Referred to Subcommittee: Elliott (ch), Cash, Tedder, Devine, Fernandez, Kennedy, Walker
3/12/2025 Senate Committee report: Favorable Judiciary (Senate Journal-page 8)
3/20/2025 Senate Amended (Senate Journal-page 11)
3/20/2025 Senate Read second time (Senate Journal-page 11)
3/20/2025 Senate Roll call Ayes-40 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 11)
3/25/2025 Senate Read third time and sent to House (Senate Journal-page 11)
3/27/2025 House Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 20)
3/27/2025 House Referred to Committee on Judiciary (House Journal-page 20)
1/28/2026 House Committee report: Favorable Judiciary (House Journal-page 382)
1/29/2026 House Read second time (House Journal-page 21)
1/29/2026 House Roll call Yeas-113 Nays-0 (House Journal-page 21)
1/29/2026 House Unanimous consent for third reading on next legislative day (House Journal-page 23)
1/30/2026 House Read third time and enrolled (House Journal-page 1)
2/3/2026 Ratified R 98

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

2/12/2025
3/12/2025
3/20/2025
1/28/2026

NOTE: THIS IS A TEMPORARY VERSION. THIS DOCUMENT WILL REMAIN IN THIS VERSION UNTIL FINAL APPROVAL BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

(R98, S336)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 2-19-90, RELATING TO JUDICIAL ELECTIONS BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN JOINT SESSION, SO AS TO SET THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF MARCH FOR THE ELECTIONS OF JUDGES BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 2-19-80, RELATING TO THE JUDICIAL MERIT SELECTION COMMISSION AND NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES, SO AS TO REVISE THE TIME FRAME FOR THE RELEASE OF THE COMMISSION'S FORMAL REPORT AS TO QUALIFICATIONS OF ITS NOMINEES.

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

Judicial elections, time set

SECTION 1.    Section 2-19-90 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

Section 2-19-90.    The General Assembly shall meet in joint session for the election of judges on the first Wednesday of March at noon in the House of Representatives. The Chairman of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission shall announce the commission's nominees for each judicial race, and no further nominating or seconding speeches shall be allowed by members of the General Assembly. In order to be elected, a candidate must receive a majority of the vote of the members of the General Assembly voting in joint session.

Judicial Merit Selection Commission, formal report release

SECTION 2.    Section 2-19-80(E) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

(E) The commission must formally release its report as to the qualifications of its nominees to the General Assembly not less than twenty-three days before the date the General Assembly conducts the election for these judgeships.

Time effective

SECTION 3.    This act takes effect on July 1, 2025.

Ratified the 3rd day of February, 2026.

______________________________________________________________________

President of the Senate

_____________________________________________________________________

Speaker of the House of Representatives

Approved the _____________ day of _________________________________________2026.

____________________________________________________________________

Governor

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This web page was last updated on February 3, 2026 at 4:27 PM