In a speech on the state of the courts to the S.C. Bar Association on Friday in Charleston, Toal said an S.C. judge's caseload is more than 2.3 times the national average -- 4,167 cases compared to the national 1,754.
In previous speeches, the chief justice called the Family Court "an assembly line." Not much has changed. She said last week that family courts in only seven of the 16 judicial circuits are in compliance with her department's 180-day benchmark for case completion.
Toal's remedy is the same as it was in 2005. She wants three new judges each for the Family Court and Circuit Court, and she would like to get them as soon as possible. The state hasn't expanded the pool of judges in a decade. The state has 46 circuit and 52 family court judges serving in full-time positions, according to the state Office of Court Administration.
Toal also wants a more stable funding source. More and more revenue is coming from court-administered fees. According to The State newspaper, in fiscal year 1999-2000 all but 1 percent of the department's $41 million budget came from state appropriations. This year about 26 percent of the $57 million budget will come from fines, surcharges and fees instituted in previous years because of budget cuts.
In the meantime, the list of cases gets longer and the amount of time spent in hearings gets shorter.
Besides providing swift, fairer justice, expanding the number of judges potentially could diversify the bench, which has been a goal of the Legislative Black Caucus for several years.
