Committee advances bill adding four circuit judges and aligning vesting rules

The judiciary committee voted to give H4805 a favorable report as amended, advancing a package that creates four new circuit court judgeships, converts several at‑large seats to resident seats, and aligns judicial retirement vesting periods with other court officers.

Jordan, who opened the subcommittee update, said the measure adds four circuit judges assigned to designated circuits: a seat for Kershaw County, a seat for the circuit covering Chester, Lancaster and Fairfield counties, a seat in Oconee County, and a seat for Georgetown/Horry counties. Two of the seats would be advertised this year with elections next March; the other two would take effect the following year, he said.

The bill also continues a previously started conversion of at‑large seats to resident seats across circuits and includes a change to the judicial retirement system so judges would vest after eight years — the same vesting period currently applied to public defenders and solicitors, Jordan said.

The committee approved a technical correction to transposed circuit numbers by unanimous consent before taking the roll call. The committee adopted the subcommittee report and, on roll call, recorded a favorable report for H4805 as amended by a vote of 20 in favor, 0 opposed, and 5 not voting.

The chair scheduled the bill to proceed as reported to the next stage of consideration.