Flags lowered in memory of state's first female Circuit Court judge

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Flags at all state buildings were lowered to half-staff Monday in memory of Carol Connor, South Carolina's first female Circuit Court judge.

Connor died Friday after battling cancer for eight years. She was 54.

Before her 1993 appointment to the Appeals Court, Connor served as a public defender, a member of the Attorney General's staff and a Circuit Court judge.

"Judge Connor consistently broke new ground here in South Carolina," said Gov. Mark Sanford. "In addition to being the first woman to serve at both the Circuit Court and Appeals Court levels in our state, she was also one of those folks in public life who never lost sight of the people she was serving.

"Her positive engagement in the lives of so many South Carolinians extended far beyond the courtroom - into mentoring, volunteering and countless other efforts to better people's lives," he said.