Graham: 'This is about conservative and liberal politics'

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said President Barack Obama has nominated "someone of good character" in U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. But Graham also said he's undecided if he will vote for her. 

Monday the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee began its confirmation hearing for Sotomayor, who if confirmed would become the nation's first Latina justice on the state's highest court.

Graham said he is still troubled by comments made by Sotomayor, who once said a "wise Latina female" could render better verdicts in some cases than white males.

"If I had said anything remotely like that, my career would have been over," Graham said.

Graham, an attorney, said he does not think Sotomayor is a racist.

"But it bothers me when somebody wearing a robe thinks their experience makes them better than everyone else," Graham said. 

Concealed weapons allowed at school, under bill

Under a bill passed by House lawmakers Thursday, all lawful gun owners could keep their guns in their locked vehicles while on school grounds. Currently, gun owners are prohibited from bringing guns into school buildings, parking lots or anywhere else on school grounds.

The bill, which now heads back to the Senate, would allow gunowners to keep their guns in their vehicle consoles, glove boxes or trunks. 

Gun tax holiday, fuel mixing unconstitutional

The South Carolina Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional a bill creating a handful of sales tax breaks -- including those for firearms -- as well as allowing fuel sellers to mix gas and ethanol themselves to save money on buying the fuel premixed.

The court ruled the law, passed last year, violates the state constitution's requirement that state laws only deal with one subject.

Attorneys had asked the court to continue to allow gas sellers to mix the fuel, typically known as splash blending, even if other sections of the law were thrown out.

But the court ruled they could not pick and choose sections and threw out the entire law. Other sections of the law gave a sales tax break for energy efficient appliances while another created a sales-tax free weekend for firearm purchases.

Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed the bill last year out of concern it would not be upheld by the courts.

Bill to boost lawyer access to jailed clients clears hurdle

The House has given key approval to a bill, requiring jails and detention centers to give attorneys daily access to their clients from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Richland, said the bill should not increase jail costs.

"What we have here is some detention centers that are absolutely denying access to clients," Harrision said.

After one more routine vote, the bill will move to the Senate.

Motorcyclists will be able to legally run red lights

Gov. Mark Sanford will sign a bill Wednesday that will allow motorcyclists to legally run red lights.

Some traffic lights do not know when motorcyclists pull up to an intersection because bikes aren't heavy enough to trigger embedded sensors.

The bill will allow motorcyclists to pass if the light doesn't change within two minutes of stopping.

Senate won't make court pay legal fees

The Senate has begun debate on its $7 billion state spending plan.
Among the first action was to remove a proviso requiring the Judicial Department to pay a portion of a million dollar court settlement. Finance chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, said there was a misunderstanding about how the fees were calculated. The courts, Leatherman said, acted in good faith in setting the fees.

Sanford withdraws workers' comp board nominee

Gov. Mark Sanford withdrew the embattled nomination today of Columbia attorney Samuel F. Painter to serve on the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission.

Painter was recommended by the governor to serve a five-year at-large term on the commission, which resolves injury disputes and settlements between injured workers and their employees.

McMaster: Abolish parole, create Middle Court

Attorney General Henry McMaster encouraged a House panel Wednesday to abolish parole and replace the state's drug courts with a new middle court for those sentenced to 90 days or more for non violent offenses.

"For every person we send to middle court, we'd save over $12,000. And that's just for one year," McMaster said. Offenders would undergo an 18-month program instead of being going to prison.

Several lawmakers said they support the creation of such a court but voted to adjourn debate until next week.

House rejects bid to punish courts for bar exam flap

The House has rejected a proposal to withhold money from the Judicial Department until the agency publicly releases a report on how lawyers and judges are disciplined.

Lawmaker guns, Election Day liquor sales on agenda

The House Judiciary Committee is considering bills this afternoon that would allow lawmakers with concealed weapons permits to carry firearms on State House grounds, lift a prohibition on selling liquor on Election Day and ban smoking in teacher lounges  in  public schools.

The House Judiciary Committee will meet 1 1/2 hours after the House, which convened at noon, adjourns.