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Indicates Matter Stricken
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S. 436

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Campsen, Setzler, L. Martin, Malloy, Hayes and Gregory
Document Path: l:\s-jud\bills\campsen\jud0052.js.docx

Introduced in the Senate on February 10, 2015
Introduced in the House on March 19, 2015
Last Amended on March 17, 2015
Currently residing in the House Committee on Judiciary

Summary: Election of judges

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   2/10/2015  Senate  Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 5)
   2/10/2015  Senate  Referred to Committee on Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 5)
   2/13/2015  Senate  Referred to Subcommittee: Campsen (ch), S.Martin, Allen
   3/11/2015  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Judiciary 
                        (Senate Journal-page 8)
   3/12/2015          Scrivener's error corrected
   3/17/2015  Senate  Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 21)
   3/17/2015  Senate  Read second time (Senate Journal-page 21)
   3/17/2015  Senate  Roll call Ayes-39  Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 21)
   3/18/2015  Senate  Read third time and sent to House 
                        (Senate Journal-page 18)
   3/19/2015  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 5)
   3/19/2015  House   Referred to Committee on Judiciary (House Journal-page 5)

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

2/10/2015
3/11/2015
3/12/2015
3/17/2015

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ADOPTED

March 17, 2015

S. 436

Introduced by Senators Campsen, Setzler, L. Martin, Malloy, Hayes and Gregory

S. Printed 3/17/15--S.

Read the first time February 10, 2015.

TO AMEND SECTION 2-19-70(C), CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE TIME PERIOD FOR SEEKING OR GIVING A PLEDGE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT PLEDGES FOR JUDICIAL CANDIDATES MAY NOT BE DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY SOUGHT OR GIVEN UNTIL TWELVE DAYS, RATHER THAN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS, AFTER THE INITIAL RELEASE OF THE REPORT CONCERNING NOMINEES TO MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; AND TO AMEND SECTION 2-19-80(E), RELATING TO THE TIME BETWEEN THE RELEASE OF THE COMMISSION'S REPORT ON NOMINATIONS TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND THE ELECTION OF JUDGESHIPS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT THERE BE A PERIOD OF AT LEAST TWENTY-TWO DAYS, RATHER THAN TWO WEEKS, AFTER THE TIME THE REPORT IS PRINTED IN THE JOURNALS AND THE TIME OF THE ELECTION.

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

SECTION    1.    Section 70, Chapter 19, Title 2 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(C)    No candidate for judicial office A person may not seek directly or indirectly seek the pledge of a member of the General Assembly's vote or, directly or indirectly, contact a member of the General Assembly regarding screening for the any judicial office until the qualifications of all candidates for that office have been determined by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission and the commission has formally released its report as to the qualifications of all candidates for the vacancy to the General Assembly. No A member of the General Assembly may not directly or indirectly offer his pledge until the qualifications of all candidates for that office have been determined by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission and until the commission has formally released its report as to the qualifications of its nominees to the General Assembly. The formal release of the report of qualifications shall occur no earlier than forty-eight hours noon, on the twelfth day after the nominees have been initially released to members of the General Assembly. For purposes of this section, indirectly seeking a pledge means the a person, a candidate, or someone acting on behalf of and at the request of the a person or a candidate, requesting a person someone to contact a member of the General Assembly on behalf of the a person or a candidate before nominations for that office are formally made by the commission. The prohibitions of this section do not extend to an announcement of candidacy by the candidate and statements by the candidate detailing the candidate's qualifications."

SECTION    2.    Section 2-19-80(E) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(E)    A period of at least two weeks twenty-two days must elapse between the date of the commission's inital report of nominations to the General Assembly and the date the General Assembly conducts the election for these judgeships."

SECTION    3.    This act takes effect and applies to elections taking place after July 1, 2015.

This web page was last updated on March 20, 2015 at 9:29 AM