(Columbia-AP) June 7, 2005 - A new
legislative study of judicial races the past three
decades has found that black candidates are less likely
to be elected judges in South Carolina than white
candidates.
But at least one prominent black lawyer says that's
what legislators have been saying since 1970. I.S. Leevy
Johnson of Columbia says the study doesn't break any new
ground and is a waste of time.
The study, by the Senate Judiciary Committee, also
found lawmakers are more likely to vote men to the bench
than women, although the gender gap is not as big as the
racial gap. The committee examined 728 judicial races
since 1975, when legislative screening began.
Chief Justice Jean Toal says the study confirms that
the state's bench does not adequately reflect the
diversity in South Carolina.
Posted 7:53am by Bryce
Mursch
