The nation’s state supreme court chief justices will grapple next week in Charleston with courthouse security, election law changes and other issues.

S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal said security will be tight for the annual meeting of the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators.

“We’ve got seven chiefs with active (death) threats against them,” said Toal, co-host of the event, which was last held in South Carolina in 1971. “This is a difficult time for state court judges.”

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

The State Law Enforcement Division is in charge of protecting the justices, their families and other guests during the meeting, with help from other law enforcement agencies, Toal said.

The event, to be held at the Charleston Place Hotel, runs from Saturday through Wednesday, though the business part of the meeting doesn’t begin until Sunday.

About 300 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; Rosalyn Frierson, director of the S.C. Office of Court Administration, is co-hosting the event.

Security will be a hot topic during the meeting, especially in light of 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, though Toal said she plans to have an update ready by the end of September.

An investigation by The State newspaper in April found a lack of metal detectors and few officers at courthouses statewide, particularly in rural areas.

It’s an issue in other states, including neighboring North Carolina. That state’s chief justice, I. Beverly Lake Jr., said last week when he was a trial judge, he sometimes carried a gun with him into courtrooms to prompt sheriffs to provide him with more security.

“I told him I really would hate to shoot one of his prisoners but was not above it if forced,” Lake said.

Besides courthouse security, the chief justices also will discuss how technology changes will shape election law. Toal said the discussions could include how recounts should be done with electronic voting machines.

In her keynote speech — scheduled 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 system statewide 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. If elected, she would be in line to head the organization, possibly as early as 2007.

“She is thought of very highly nationally,” said Wisconsin Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, the outgoing conference president, when contacted last week. ”She does just an outstanding job.”

The Charleston event won’t be all about business, Toal said, noting a variety of fun and educational activities are planned. On Saturday, for example, participants will hear a presentation on South Carolina’s legal trailblazers, including U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Perry, the state’s first black district court judge.

“It’s going to be a wonderful conference that will showcase the very best of a very unique American city,” Toal said.

Reach Brundrett at (803) 771-8484 or rbrundrett@thestate.com.