South Carolina state Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Little River, speaks about a bill altering the procedure used to elect judges in the state, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
But big changes appear unlikely even after hours of hearings in House committees this year about how people in the state have lost faith in the system.
There were stories of judicial candidates being pressured to drop out of elections to prevent embarrassment. Others discussed how lawmakers would delay cases by abusing their legislative immunity to stay out of court if they have legislative work.
Some called for attorneys who are lawmakers to either be removed from the screening commission or from electing judges period because as lawyers they could end up arguing cases before judges who owe their job to a General Assembly election.
The legislators on the commission — all of whom are lawyers — struck back, saying some of the stories weren't true and others were at best isolated cases blown out of proportion.
"This is not an indictment of the current system," said Republican Sen. Greg Hembree as he explained the bill on Thursday. Hembree isn't on the screening commission.
Most of the hearings were in the House, which came up with a list of things it would like to change, but hasn't acted on that with a proposal yet.
And time is an enemy of any proposal. The General Assembly adjourns in early May and the whole reform idea would have to start at square one in 2025 if it doesn't pass and get signed by the governor.
Since those hearings, supporters of the system have gotten some high-profile help from throughout the legal system.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Tuesday, former Chief Justice Jean Toal said South Carolina elects remarkably well-qualified judges and the Legislature-elected system, shared only with Virginia, is vastly superior to public election of judges and all the problems with independence and competency that system causes.
"The system is good. but changing pieces of it — not throwing out the baby with the bathwater — is the way to go," said Toal, who was the state's first woman to serve as chief justice and was on the state Supreme Court for 27 years.
"The best regulation is self-regulation," Toal told the senators several times.
Democratic Sen. Dick Harpootlian, a lawyer for five decades who is pushing for more reforms, gently pushed back on Toal.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"I'm afraid, as we've seen with legislators in the past, not all of them are susceptible to that self-regulation," Harpootlian said.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/south-carolina-lawmakers-debate-electing-judges-big-changes-expected