Legislature-Appointed Judges and Court Backlogs Undermine Justice System

The Challenge: South Carolina is one of two states where the legislature selects judges ( https://judicature.duke.edu/articles/picking-judges-how-judicial-selection-methods-affect-diversity-in-state-appellate-courts/#:~:text=Nonpartisan%20election.,nominated%20by%20the%20independent%20commission. ), raising questions about judicial independence, while family court backlogs leave families waiting months or years for resolution. What do South Carolinians think? Participants see structural problems. One noted: "South Carolina is 1 of 2 states where the legislature has the sole power to select judges — neither the Governor nor the voters have any voice." The conflict of interest is clear to many: "lawyer legislators should not screen, nominate, or select judicial candidates who may preside over their or their firms’, cases." Family courts draw particular anguish: "SC has some of the longest family court wait times in the country — families wait months for temporary hearings and years for final ones." Another participant attended a hearing where "a Magistrate violated a citizen’s rights and there was no way to get a transcript — courtrooms must be recorded."