South Carolina is about to trade its all-male state Supreme court for an all-white one. The General Assembly picks almost all state judges. On Wednesday, it's expected to elevate Court of Appeals Judge Letitia Verdin to the state's highest court. The white woman will take the seat of Black Chief Justice Don Beatty.
FILE - The exterior of the South Carolina Supreme Court building in Columbia, S.C. is shown Jan. 18, 2023. For the first time in nearly two decades, all the justices on South Carolina ’s Supreme Court are going to be white. FILE - South Carolina State Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal, center, stands with retired Chief Justice Ernest Finney, left, after administering the oath of office to Justice Don Beatty, right, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007, in Columbia, S.C.
“He gave confidence in the system to people of color who historically — since well before Dred Scott — have had no need to feel any confidence,” Johnson added, referencing the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision that declared African Americans could not be citizens. The court’s new chief justice promises a renewed push for more diversity on the court. But John Kittredge said only the General Assembly, where 118 of the 170 members are Republican, can ensure it happens.General Assembly leaders have expressed concerns about the lack of diversity, although they also have expressed unhappiness with rulings on abortion, the death penalty, low bonds and lighter sentences in recent years.
South Carolina General News Domestic News SC State Wire Ernest A. Finney Jr. N Race And Ethnicity South Carolina State Government Politics U.S. News U.S. News Race And Ethnicity
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