COLUMBIA--The General Assembly on Wednesday elected judges to state appellate and circuit courts.

Legislators selected Circuit Judge Donald Beatty of Spartanburg to fill the Court of Appeals seat being vacated by Jasper Cureton of Richland County.

Cureton was the state's highest-ranking black judge. Beatty also is black.

Lawmakers also re-elected Kaye G. Hearn to her spot as chief judge of the Court of Appeals.

Ray N. Stevens was elected to the Administrative Law Judge Division, seat 5.

Judges elected to the circuit court were:

-- G. Thomas Cooper Jr. for the 5th Judicial Circuit, seat 3.

-- Larry R. Patterson for the 13th Judicial Circuit, seat 3.

-- Jackson V. Gregory for the 14th Judicial Circuit, seat 2.

-- Paula H. Thomas for the 15th Judicial Circuit, seat 2.

-- John M. Milling, at-large seat 1.

-- R. Markley Dennis Jr., at-large seat 2.

-- Clifton Newman, at-large seat 3.

-- J. Mark Hayes, at-large seat 5.

-- James E. Lockemy, at-large seat 6.

-- J. Cordell Maddox Jr., at-large seat 7.

-- Kenneth G. Goode, at-large seat 8.

-- Reginald I. Lloyd, at-large seat 9.

-- James R. Barber III, at-large seat 10.