Attorney General Alan Wilson on judicial reform headed to conference committee

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) — Judicial reform, S.1046, is headed to conference committee. See below for Attorney General Alan Wilson's statement:

"Judicial reform is headed to conference committee. Our judicial selection process desperately needs reform, and we’re almost there. This bill is not perfect, but it is progress. I hope the conference committee members agree and get it to the Governor’s desk soon."

Attorney General Wilson has been calling for judicial reform for years and in the last year has hosted multiple events to bring continued awareness to the need for reforms. In March 2023, he hosted a bipartisan coalition with more than half of the sheriffs and solicitors in the state calling for judicial reform, specifically to give the Executive Branch a role when it comes to the selection of judges in an effort to balance the power between the branches of government and create accountability. Read more here.

Last summer, Attorney General Wilson hosted a bipartisan group of legislators to discuss the need for judicial reform where he shared his proposed plan. Read more here. He also hosted a panel discussion with the South Carolina Republican Party and Palmetto Family Council to stress the importance of reform and how it affects more than just criminal courts. Read more here.

Attorney General Wilson has met with the business community in several private and open meetings about judicial reform to share how our current process for selecting judges can affect them. Read more here.

Throughout the fall and winter months, Attorney General Wilson has hosted private meetings with faith leaders and members of the legal community to ask and answer questions and continue the push for judicial reform. 

Attorney General Wilson testified before the House Ad-Hoc committee on the need for judicial reform. Watch his testimony here.