COLUMBIA, S.C. - Security, technology and election law will be among the topics discussed next week during the annual meeting of the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators.

South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal said security will be tight for the Charleston event.

"We've got seven chiefs with active (death) threats against them," she said. "This is a difficult time for state court judges."

Toal declined to name the targeted justices, though she said she is not among them.

About 300 people are expected to attend the event, including at least 47 of the nation's 50 chief justices. Top state court administrators from around the country also will attend.

Courthouse security will be one of the meeting's topics. It's especially important after the Atlanta courthouse shootings in March that left three dead, Toal said. The justices and court administrators could decide to call for more federal funding or better collaboration among states to improve security, she said.

Toal heads a state task force on courthouse security formed after the Atlanta shootings. No changes have been formally proposed, but Toal said she expects to have an update ready by October.

The chief justices also will discuss the effect of technology changes on election law. Toal said the discussions could include how recounts should be done with electronic voting machines.

In her keynote speech set for Monday, Toal will focus on the technological changes she has pushed since becoming chief justice in 2000. Her plan to use an Internet-based statewide system for court records has been praised as a national model.

Toal also is expected to be elected during the meeting as a vice president of the conference.

The event runs Sunday through Wednesday. It was last held in South Carolina more than 30 years ago.