InSouth Carolina, there is one federal district court, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• State court of appeals
• Trial courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through South Carolina's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of South Carolina's state court system.

Judicial selection process

See also:Judicial selection in South Carolina andSouth Carolina judicial elections

Selection of state court judges in South Carolina occurs throughlegislative election.^[1]South Carolina is one of only two states in the country where judges are elected by thegeneral assembly rather than by the governor or people. The other isVirginia.^[2] If a mid-term vacancy occurs with less than one year remaining on an unexpired term, the governor may fill the vacancy.^[1]

Federal courts

Thefederal district court in South Carolina is theUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina. This court may hear appeals from state courts and is also the point of origination for federal cases and lawsuits.

Appeals go to theU.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.

Active judges

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 5
• Republican appointed: 4

Judicial selection

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by thepresident of the United States and confirmed by theUnited States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, clickhere.

Bankruptcy courts

There is onefederal bankruptcy court in South Carolina. This court has subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy court in South Carolina is:

• United States bankruptcy court, District of South Carolina

State supreme court

See also:South Carolina Supreme Court

The South Carolina Supreme Court is the state'scourt of last resort and has five judgeships.^[3] The currentchief of the court isJohn Kittredge.^[4]

As of August 2024, all five judges on the court were appointed by the South Carolina State Legislature.

The following judges sit on the court:

State court of appeals

See also:South Carolina Court of Appeals

TheSouth Carolina Court of Appeals is theintermediate appellate court inSouth Carolina. The Court of Appeals was established on September 1, 1983. It consists of a chief judge and eight associate judges who are elected by the state legislature for six-year terms. The court hears cases either as a small panel of three judges or as a whole, and it may hear oral arguments and motions in any county of the state.^[5]

The following judges sit on the court:

Trial courts

Circuit courts

See also:South Carolina Circuit Courts

TheSouth Carolina Circuit Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction inSouth Carolina. The circuit courts also have limited appellate authority over lower trial courts and governmental agencies.^[6]

Masters-in-equity

See also:South Carolina Masters-in-Equity

TheMasters-in-Equity courts are courts inSouth Carolina that hear cases referred to them by theSouth Carolina Circuit Courts and have the same power and authority as the circuit courts without the jury.^[7]

Family courts

See also:South Carolina Family Courts

TheFamily Courts are courts inSouth Carolina that have jurisdiction over cases involving domestic and family issues. The family courts are divided into the same judicial districts as thecircuit courts.^[8]

Magistrate courts

See also:South Carolina Magistrate Courts

TheMagistrate Courts are courts inSouth Carolina that have jurisdiction over trial cases involving offenses with a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days.^[9]

Municipal courts

See also:South Carolina Municipal Courts

TheMunicipal Courts are courts inSouth Carolina that have jurisdiction over offenses that violate their respective municipality ordinances, and over all offenses which are subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days.^[10]

Probate courts

See also:South Carolina Probate Courts

TheProbate Courts are courts inSouth Carolina that have jurisdiction over items such as marriages, estates, and guardianships.^[11]

To read more about judicial elections in South Carolina,click here.

In other states

See also

• Judicial selection in South Carolina
• South Carolina judicial elections

External links

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• Search Google News for this topic
• South Carolina Supreme Court

Footnotes

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