RIDGELAND -- Jasper County officials are rounding up a posse for a September state Supreme Court fight over who has the right to build a port on the South Carolina bank of the Savannah River.

The county released an invitation Wednesday to "Jasper County residents and interested parties" to board a chartered bus bound for Columbia to hear the argument between the county and S.C. State Ports Authority attorneys.

The five-member Supreme Court will hear the case at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 20, according to a court official. The county will pay $550 for a bus charter that will leave Ridgeland at 6 a.m. Those wishing to go won't be charged for the ride. As of Wednesday, six people had signed up.

"The area is certainly open to the public," Brenda Shealy, deputy clerk of court at the Supreme Court, said of the courtroom. It seats about 100 people.

Shealy said death penalty cases normally draw the largest crowd.

After Jasper County reached a development agreement with port builder SSA Marine in January, the State Ports Authority launched a declaratory judgment suit to define which government body has the superior right to build a port on the Savannah River. The county has pursued a port for more than 15 years.

County officials hope a show of support will emphasize the $450 million project's importance to the area.

But some question the impact a strong showing could have on a body prized for impartiality.

"The Supreme Court is supposed to be an independent, intellectual, judicial bunch. I hope that's what they are. I hope they'd interpret the law free of political motivation," said Henry Moss, former Jasper County administrator.

For information on the trip, contact Judy Frank, Jasper County's clerk to council, at 726-7758.