COLUMBIA, S.C. - A judicial screening panel has nominated three black candidates to fill the at-large Circuit Court judgeship vacated by U.S. Attorney Reggie Lloyd.

The decision ensures a black judge will be elected in South Carolina for the first time since Lloyd was approved in 2003.

The three nominees are: Michelle Childs, a Workers' Compensation commissioner since 2002; John Geathers, an Administrative Law Court judge since 1994; and William Witherspoon, an assistant U.S. attorney since 2000, according to Jane Shuler, the chief lawyer for the 10-member Judicial Merit Selection Commission.

Legislators will elect the new judge May 24. The winner will fill the remainder of Lloyd's six-year term, which expires June 30, 2009.

Five of the six candidates for Lloyd's old job were black - the highest number since new screening system was adopted in 1997.

Tuesday's nominations cast doubt on arguments there aren't enough qualified black lawyers for judgeships, said I.S. Leevy Johnson, a longtime Columbia attorney and former state lawmaker.

"What I will be interested to see in the future is when there's a vacancy created by a white judge's resignation, will they again nominate three African-American candidates?" Johnson said.

A black lawyer is also one of three candidates to fill an Administrative Law Court seat formerly held by Ray Stevens, who became head of the Revenue Department in January.

The Judicial Merit Selection Commission nominated Shirley Robinson, who is black, and Deborah Durden and Paige Gossett, who are white, Shuler said. The election for this seat is also May 24.

Two of the original five candidates for the seat were black.

"It's not about getting black judges. It's about getting good judges. In some cases, we've had African-American candidates who tried more cases, were more experienced and rated higher, and still were not selected," said Rep. David Mack, D-North Charleston, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus.

About 6 percent of the state's lawyers and 6 percent of its trial and appellate judges are black, while South Carolina's black population is about 30 percent.