H3306

Civil and Criminal Courts of Appeals Panels

Introduced·1/14/25
Introduced Text

Expands South Carolina Court of Appeals from nine to fifteen judges and establishes five panels.

This bill amends the South Carolina Code to increase the number of judges on the Court of Appeals from nine to fifteen. It establishes five panels: two for criminal matters, two for civil matters, and one for maintaining equal caseloads. The Chief Judge assigns members to panels and can transfer cases to balance workloads. The Court can sit en banc with a quorum of ten judges. Judges are elected for staggered terms ranging from two to six years. The changes take effect July 1, 2026.

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  • Impact
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  • Critical Issues

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Where it stands

Current
Judiciary Committee
Next
Committee decision

Sponsors

DD
2
0
Democratic CaucusRepublican Caucus

History

Jan 14, 2025

House

Introduced and read first time

Jan 14, 2025

House

Referred to Committee on Judiciary

Dec 5, 2024

House

Prefiled