COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina Democrat is joining calls to give the governor more power and say over the election of state judges.
Freshman state Rep. Heather Bauer, D-Richland, has filed a bill that would remove current lawmakers from a powerful committee that now vets candidates for state judges. Instead, Bauer’s proposal would give Gov. Henry McMaster and future governors more say in the judicial process, while still allowing the 170-member General Assembly to give final approval.
Under Bauer’s proposal, the governor would get to appoint six members to the current 10-member screening commission, called the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, that vets candidates to run for judicial posts. At least one of the governor’s six appointments would be a candidate recommended by the S.C. Bar Association, whose members include all state lawyers, Bauer’s bill says.
