LWVSC Initiative on Judicial Independence and Diversity

A GOOD IDEA POORLY EXECUTED: Judicial Selection and Diversity in South Carolina A research project by Professor John L. S. Simpkins for LWVSC

LWVSC's work to ensure a fair judiciary in South Carolina is outlined in this new report. From Theory to Practice: A Grassroots Education Campaign, shares lessons learned by the Kansas and South Carolina state and local Leagues that participated in Safeguarding Democracy: Quest for a More Diverse Judiciary from 2009-2012. Link

The League of Women Voters of South Carolina cordially invites you to the closing of our two-year project on the importance of independence and diversity in the state judicial system with a public forum entitled "The State of the Judiciary in South Carolina: From Research to Reality" to be held on Tuesday, August 7, 2012, at the University of South Carolina School of Law Auditorium in downtown Columbia (corner of S. Main and Greene Streets). The 6 p.m. Reception will be followed at 7 p.m. by the Program. South Carolina Women Lawyers Association is a co-sponsor of the event.

Confirmed panelists include Senator Larry A. Martin (R-Pickens County, Dist. 2), Judiciary Committee Chair and Judicial Merit Selection Commission Vice Chair; Senator Floyd Nicholson (D-Abbeville, Greenwood & Laurens Counties, Dist. 10), Judicial Merit Selection Commission Member; Judge Carolyn C. Matthews, President, S.C. Women Lawyers Assoc.; Dean Robert M. Wilcox, University of South Carolina School of Law; Alice Paylor, President-Elect, South Carolina Bar; and John Simpkins, Assistant Professor and Director of Diversity Initiatives, Charleston School of Law. The forum will be moderated by Constance Anastopoulo, Associate Professor, Charleston School of Law.

At the August 7th Forum, the League and invited guests will review the results of our statewide education initiative, which began with our October 2010 conference in Charleston. The League expects to unveil partial research results on the current state of the South Carolina judicial system's independence and diversity. Panelists will share their views on issues related to judicial diversity and independence.

The Reception and Program are free and open to the public. Free two-hour CLE credits for South Carolina attorneys have been requested. Please RSVP by August 3 to Angel Warren at angelwarren@msn.com.

Judicial Independence and Diversity Website (LWV of Greenville County)

Judicial Positions August 9, 2012

On February 16, 2012, the League of Women Voters of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, will launch a contest open to all high school students in the state: "Picture This: The 5W's of Judicial Diversity--Who? What? When? Where? Why?: Using Visual Media to Bring a Message to the Public". Spartanburg Students are asked to submit a 1-minute video, slideshow, photo, or graphic illustration that conveys the abstract idea that "[a] diverse judiciary in South Carolina is important because it instills confidence in citizens that court decisions will be fair and impartial." Submissions will be judged on clarity and creativity. The goal of the contest is to challenge South Carolina students to learn about their state's courts and to consider the importance of diversity to the judiciary.

Submissions will be shared for public comment on the League of Women Voters of Spartanburg County's Facebook Page for the Contest, The Gavel

We urge you to "like" and review the entries along with the Spartanburg League. Submissions are due by April 15, 2012, and winners will be announced on Law Day (May 1, 2012). As part of publicity for the contest, Linda Bilanchone of the League of Women Voters of Spartanburg County was interviewed on January 23 on South Carolina ETV Radio's "Speaking of Schools" to discuss the contest. Speaking of Schools The segment begins at the 25:50 mark.

January 27, 2012, presentation

The League of Women Voters of South Carolina will co-sponsor the panel "Fitness to Practice: What It Means for Attorneys and the Judicial System" at the 4th annual Law & Society Symposium in Charleston. This year's Symposium topic is "The Role of Government." The symposium opens with a keynote address by Professor A.E. Dick Howard, the White Burkett Miller Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Virginia School of Law, on Thursday, February 9, at 5 pm. The symposium continues on February 10, at 8:30 am with panels focusing on campaign finance reform, immigration and states' rights, and same-sex marriage. The LWVSC-sponsored panel will begin at 2:45 pm on Friday and consider the issue of "fitness to practice" as it impacts the judicial selection system in South Carolina. Bobby Harrell, Speaker of the S.C. House of Representatives, will give introductory remarks. Confirmed panelists include John Freeman, Professor Emeritus of the University of South Carolina and Member, Judicial Merit Selection Commission; John Davis Harrell, Member of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission; State Rep. David J. Mack III, Member of the S.C. Judicial Merit Selection Commission; and Frances P. Segars-Andrews, former S.C. family court judge. Professor Constance Anastopoulo, Charleston School of Law and LWV/Charleston Area, will moderate. Photos from Panel

Safeguarding Democracy Brochure

Visit our Judicial Independence and Diversity Website
This website, a project of the League of Women Voters of Greenville County, is a resource dedicated to achieving the long term goals of the Judicial Independence and Diversity Initiative. In addition, this website serves as a resource for anyone interested in knowing how the South Carolina Judicial Branch is organized and operates. Every effort will be made to ensure that the content of this website is current and accurate. Please contact the League of Women Voters of Greenville County (lwvgreenville@yahoo.com) if any information contained herein needs to be updated or appears inaccurate.

iCivics is a non-profit organization founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in partnership with Georgetown Law and Arizona State University. It is a web-based education project designed to teach middle school students civics and to inspire them to become active citizens. With a unique team of experts in law, history, and technology, iCivics is dedicated to reinvigorating civics learning through interactive resources and online games that teach students about law, public policy, and government. For teachers, iCivics offers free lesson plans, curriculum outlines, worksheets, and other practical classroom tools to increase civic knowledge, literacy, and critical thinking. For information about South Carolina's ICivics program, contact Dr. Jane Brailsford, South Carolina's iCivics Master Teacher Trainer, at JBRAILSFORD@GMAIL.COM or icivicssc@gmail.com or 803-530-3005.

Join women leaders on October 21 at the Columbia Marriott for SC Women Lawyers Association's annual conference, "Women Lawyers and Leadership: Status and Success in a Changed Profession." The conference features nationally recognized speakers Professor Anita Hill, Gloria Felt, and Gloria Steinem, as well as local leaders, Chief Justice Jean Toal, Belinda Gergel, Deb Sofield, and others. LWVSC is a co-sponsor. Register now or for more information

LWVSC Judicial Initiative at the 2011 State League Convention, May 14-15 in Sumter

• Keynote Address Delivered by Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth V. McGregor (Retired) at the LWVSC Convention Banquet in Sumter, SC, May 14, 2011
  
  
• Convention judicial activities and banquet reservation information here
  
  
• Press Release on LWVSC Convention 2011 here
  
  





• LWV member, Prof. Constance Anastopoulo presented on June 22, 2011 in Washington, DC, at the American Association of Law School's Workshop on Women Rethinking Equality on the topic of "Why Diversity on the Bench Matters." The talk was an extension of Prof. Anastopoulo's work on the LWVSC Initiative on Judicial Selection in South Carolina. The workshop addressed the unfinished business of equality as women confront complex professional challenges in the judicial system.
  
  
• LWVSC and SC Women Lawyers Association partner to offer women lawyers as speakers on judicial issues. To volunteer or get connected with a volunteer speaker, contact Barbara Zia at ziab1@comcast.net or call (803)251-2726. Article
  
  
• Congratulations to SC Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal for her selection as first recipient of Sandra Day O'Connor Award for Advancement of Civics Education. Article
  
  
• LWVSC Letter to the Editor
  
  
• CONGRATULATIONS TO NEWLY ELECTED SOUTH CAROLINA JUDGES
  
  
• September 30, 2011 State League Celebrates 60th Anniversary with speech on Judicial Diversity
  
  
• September 14, 2011 State League meets with the South Carolina Bar Association
  
  
• September 7, 2011 State League Celebrates Women's Equality Day at Statehouse with speech on Judicial Diversity
  
  

Meeting with Judicial Merit Selection Commission

• LWV members and our Judicial Initiative partners met with the South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission on Thursday, Feb. 17th at 3 pm in Room 209, Gressette Building, on the Statehouse grounds in Columbia. JMSC Chief Counsel Jane Shuler and several commissioners were eager to discuss with us the judicial selection process in our state.
  
  
• The meeting's purpose was to gather information about the role that the JMSC and regional Citizens Committees play in selection of judges. That information will be used to set goals that our Initiative will work to achieve in 2011. Specifically, we wanted to learn about:
  - the process used to seek out qualified judicial candidates, including how and to which audiences openings are advertised
  - the makeup of the JMSC and Citizens Committees and what role can our Leagues play in filling vacancies that may occur
  - how records are kept of the gender and racial makeup of applicants and how they they progress through the selection process
  - transparency of the application and interviewing process
  - possible interest of members of the committees to participate in diversity/implicit bias trainings
  
  
• Notes from the Meeting with JMSC
  
  
• Photo from JMSC Meeting
  
  
• Low Country Citizen Committee Members
  
  
• Midlands Citizen Committee Members
  
  
• Pee Dee Citizen Committee Members
  
  
• Piedmont Citizen Committee Members
  
  
• Upstate Citizen Committee Members
  
  
• Citizen Committee Mission Statement & Statute Regarding Appointment of Citizen Committee Members
  
  
• Demographics of Citizen Committee Members
  
  
• South Carolina Judicial Department Chart of Judges by Race and Gender
  
  
• JMSC Demographics on Candidates Screened since 2005
  
  
• Statutes Regarding Publication of Vacancies and Confidentiality of Records
  
  
• For more information about the JMSC and Citizens Committees, visit http://www.scstatehouse.gov/html-pages/judmerit.html
  
  
  
• State League meets with South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal on November 15, 2010
  
  

SOUTH CAROLINA KICK-OFF of JUDICIAL DIVERSITY CAMPAIGN

A Conference on: Ensuring an Independent and Diverse State Judiciary
October 8, 2010, 1:00-5:45 PM
Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting St., Charleston, SC
Reception followed: Alluette's Jazz Café, 137 Calhoun St.

• Fair Courts Information or Judicial Initiative Information
  
  
• Photos from Conference
  
  
• 2010 Quest for a More Diverse Judiciary Brochure
  
  
• Conference Press Release
  
  

See news articles, opinion pieces, and radio interviews on our Judicial Initiative Media page.

Judicial Initiative in the Media

• Judicial Independence
  
  

• Support for Judicial Independence
  
  
• 2008 Forum on Judicial Selection in South Carolina