Judicial Secrecy

  • Citizens can now see salaries of higher-paid S.C. judges

    Update: 3/17/25: The S.C. Department of Administration, without giving a specific reason, informed The Nerve that Judicial Department salaries are no longer included in the state salary database. But the salaries of judges and court staff making at least $50,000 annually can now be found here on the Judicial Department's...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    November 19, 2024

  • Senators won't let go of magistrate control

    By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. senators this year apparently had no interest in legislation to end the longstanding practice of allowing county magistrates to serve months or even years after their terms expired. There's probably good reason for their lack of enthusiasm: Senators largely control who becomes a magistrate and how...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    August 28, 2024

  • True reform? S.C. justices say they won't investigate each other

    By RICK BRUNDRETT South Carolina’s top court has decided to remove itself from investigations of ethics complaints against sitting justices. But for now, members of the Supreme Court – whose six-figure salaries are paid by S.C. taxpayers – can still discipline a wayward fellow justice even with the creation of...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    August 18, 2024

  • Capped out: State law hurts qualified judicial candidates' election chances

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: 7/2/24 - Gov. Henry McMaster signed into a law a judicial reform bill that, among other things, will increase the nominee cap from three to six per judicial seat filled by the S.C. Legislature and will allow the governor to appoint four members of the Judicial...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    April 16, 2024

  • Many county magistrates still on bench past their terms

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: 3/13/24 - A total of 66 county magistrates statewide remain in "holdover status," according to an updated list released by the S.C. Court Administration office. The latest list was provided after The Nerve on Feb. 23 submitted a written request under the state Freedom of Information...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    March 04, 2024

  • Ex-lawmakers, others with legislative ties often shoo-ins for S.C. judicial seats

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: 3/14/24 - Following is an updated list of the salaries of higher-level state judges, which was released by the S.C. Court Administration office following a Feb. 2 written request by The Nerve under the state Freedom of Information Act: Supreme Court chief justice ($235,186), Supreme Court...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    February 07, 2024

  • Supreme Court justice defends secretive disciplinary system

    By RICK BRUNDRETT At a recent S.C. House special committee hearing on judicial reform, Supreme Court Justice John Kittredge touted the “almost non-existent” number of ethics violations committed by state judges. “Each week, members of the judiciary receive a report of all the ethical violations of judges around the country,...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    November 30, 2023

  • Courting favor? Senator's cases before magistrates raise ethics questions

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: 12/6/24 - S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge issued an order generally banning magistrates from hearing any contested matter involving a state senator, whether as a lawyer or party, who has "direct authority" to recommend the magistrate for appointment by the governor. The order, which...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    September 29, 2023

  • S.C. senators maintain strong grip on local magistrates

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: 10/16/23- Less than three weeks after this story and a companion investigative piece were published, Gov. Henry McMaster in a letter to the S.C. Senate called for reforms in the magistrate selection process, pointing out that his "relatively recent predecessors adopted or acceded to a custom...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    September 29, 2023

  • Sweeping transparency reforms proposed in House bill

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Citizens would have far easier access to state and local government records and meetings in South Carolina under a wide-ranging S.C. House bill introduced Thursday. The legislation was  based largely on transparency recommendations released in December by the South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization, said the...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    February 10, 2023