Appeals Court Judge Donald Beatty of Spartanburg was elected to the state's Supreme Court, becoming the second African American elected to the South Carolina's highest court.
Lawmakers, in a joint session of the House and Senate, voted three times before Beatty picked up the 82 votes he needed to capture a majority and win election.
In the third round of voting Beatty picked up 84 votes, as a handful of lawmakers switched their support from Conway Appeals Court ChiefJudge Kaye Hearn to Beatty.
Finishing second in the voting was Columbia Appeals Court Judge Bruce Williams, who picked up 54 votes. Hearn finished with 25 votes.
Beatty, 54, is a former lawmaker who has spent the past dozen years on bench. He has spent the past four years on the state's Appeals Court, the second-highest S.C. court.
He will take the seat being vacated by Justice E.C. Burnett, who is retiring.
Lawmakers this afternoon also are filling a Court of Appeals seat and several other lower court seats.
About time a black man is elected to the high court of South Carolina. And, the way that so many African-Americans are arrested in this state, they may need to have a brother on the SC Supreme Court to make sure that any grievancies that they have will be addressed.
And, we need to have a lot more blacks in other high offices of this state as well!
Posted by: Luevonia | 25 May 2007 at 10:12 PM
PROPER REPRESENTATION IS IMPORTANT BUT JUDGES SELECTION AT ANY LEVEL MUST NOT BE BASED ON RACE/GENDER. QUALIFICATIONS MUST TAKE PRECIDENCE OVER THOSE NEEDLESS BIAS FACTORS.
IF YOU BREAK THE LAW YOU SHOULD PAY THE PRICE REGARDLESS WHOSE BEHIND THE BENCH TO ENFORCE IT (or the race of the defendant)....
Posted by: TERRI | 28 May 2007 at 01:16 AM