Senate panel ponders judicial elections

Senators plan to hold public hearings around the state this year to help them determine whether Supreme Court justices and Family Court judges should be popularly elected or continue to be appointed by the Legislature.

They also will be asking whether to increase the size of the Supreme Court bench from four justices to six justices, plus a chief justice.

"These are revolutionary changes," said Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, a sponsor of two resolutions taken up today by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee.

Sen. Tommy Moore, D-Aiken, agreed the changes were "revolutionary" and said consultations with Judiciary Committee chairman Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, supported hearing from the public on the issues.

Dates, times and locations of the proposed public hearings have not been decided, Moore said, indicating the Senate likely would be unable to meet a May 1 deadline to get the bills passed and sent to the House.

In other business, the subcommittee approved a bill preventing members of the General Assembly from campaigning for judicial candidates until 48 hours after candidates' qualifications are published.

The bill (S.545) also prohibits judicial candidates from orchestrating "quiet, coordinated campaigns" targeted toward legislators to gain support for their candidacies.

Violators of the proposal, if passed, would be subject to disciplinary action by the State Ethics Commission.