Staff reports | Gov. Henry McMaster says he is requiring applicants for magistrate judge positions to disclose a greater amount of information about their qualifications in response to the growing concern about the conduct of judges across the state.
“I am confident that we can enhance the caliber of our State’s magistrates, while also simultaneously advancing public safety and restoring the public’s faith in this critical component of our judiciary,” McMaster wrote in a letter to state senators, who nominate candidates to be magistrates. In recent years, the state Supreme Court has reprimanded some magistrates for cursing, not showing up for work and more.
In the letter, McMaster said applicants need to be asked about familiarity with legal issues and sentencing philosophy. He also says they need to submit the kind of financial and background information that other statewide appointees have to provide.
According to the Associated Press, “Magistrates are the lowest level in the state court system, but handle the most business. They issue search and arrest warrants, set bail, hear criminal cases where the punishments are fines less than $500 or 30 days in jail, civil matters where less than $7,500 is in dispute and issue temporary and emergency restraining orders.”
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We Can Do Better, South Carolina!