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Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-73

§121 South Carolina

Title 28 › Part PART I— - ORGANIZATION OF COURTS › Chapter CHAPTER 5— - DISTRICT COURTS › § 121

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

South Carolina is one federal court district divided into eleven divisions. Each division covers certain counties and holds court in a named city. Charleston Division includes Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, and Georgetown counties and holds court at Charleston; Columbia Division includes Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Richland, and Sumter and holds court at Columbia; Florence Division includes Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Horry, Marion, Marlboro, and Williamsburg and holds court at Florence; Aiken Division includes Aiken, Allendale, and Barnwell and holds court at Aiken; Orangeburg Division includes Bamberg, Calhoun, and Orangeburg and holds court at Orangeburg; Greenville Division includes Greenville and Laurens and holds court at Greenville; Rock Hill Division includes Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster, and York and holds court at Rock Hill; Greenwood Division includes Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda and holds court at Greenwood; Anderson Division includes Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens and holds court at Anderson; Spartanburg Division includes Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union and holds court at Spartanburg; Beaufort Division includes Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper and holds court at Beaufort.

Full Legal Text

Title 28, §121

Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

South Carolina constitutes one judicial district comprising eleven divisions.
(1)The Charleston Division comprises the counties of Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, and Georgetown.Court for the Charleston Division shall be held at Charleston.
(2)The Columbia Division comprises the counties of Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Richland, and Sumter.Court for the Columbia Division shall be held at Columbia.
(3)The Florence Division comprises the counties of Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Horry, Marion, Marlboro, and Williamsburg.Court for the Florence Division shall be held at Florence.
(4)The Aiken Division comprises the counties of Aiken, Allendale, and Barnwell.Court for the Aiken Division shall be held at Aiken.
(5)The Orangeburg Division comprises the counties of Bamberg, Calhoun, and Orangeburg.Court for the Orangeburg Division shall be held at Orangeburg.
(6)The Greenville Division comprises the counties of Greenville and Laurens.Court for the Greenville Division shall be held at Greenville.
(7)The Rock Hill Division comprises the counties of Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster, and York.Court for the Rock Hill Division shall be held at Rock Hill.
(8)The Greenwood Division comprises the counties of Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda.Court for the Greenwood Division shall be held at Greenwood.
(9)The Anderson Division comprises the counties of Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens.Court for the Anderson Division shall be held at Anderson.
(10)The Spartanburg Division comprises the counties of Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union.Court for the Spartanburg Division shall be held at Spartanburg.
(11)The Beaufort Division comprises the counties of Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper.Court for the Beaufort Division shall be held at Beaufort.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 186 (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, § 105, 36 Stat. 1123; Feb. 5, 1912, ch. 28, 37 Stat. 60; Mar. 3, 1915, ch. 100, § 5, 38 Stat. 961; Sept. 1, 1916, ch. 434, 39 Stat. 721; Mar. 4, 1923, ch. 261, 42 Stat. 1486; Jan. 30, 1925, ch. 118, 43 Stat. 800;
June 26, 1926, ch. 696, §§ 1–3, 44 Stat. 773;
June 20, 1936, ch. 637, §§ 1–3, 49 Stat. 1558, 1559;
June 12, 1940, ch. 335, 54 Stat. 344;
June 28, 1943, ch. 173, title II, § 204, 57 Stat. 244; Dec. 13, 1944, ch. 556, 58 Stat. 801). The last sentence of section 186 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., relating to trial of criminal cases in the division in which the offense was committed, was omitted as fully covered by Rules 18–22 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. A provision relating to the places of the clerks’ offices was omitted as covered by section 751 of this title. The provision respecting court accommodations at Orangeburg was omitted as covered by section 142 of this title. Changes in arrangement and phraseology were made.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1991—Par. (4). Pub. L. 102–140, § 304(1), struck out reference to Hampton County. Par. (11). Pub. L. 102–140, § 304(2), inserted reference to Hampton County. 1986—Pub. L. 99–657, § 2(1), substituted “eleven divisions” for “ten divisions” in introductory text. Par. (1). Pub. L. 99–657, § 2(2), struck out “Beaufort,” after “counties of” and substituted “and Georgetown” for “Georgetown, and Jasper”. Par. (11). Pub. L. 99–657, § 2(3), added par. (11). 1965—Pub. L. 89–242 consolidated into a single district the 10 divisions of the state which had formerly been divided into an Eastern and a Western District.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1986 Amendment Pub. L. 99–657, § 4, Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3670, provided that: “(a)

Effective Date

.—(1) The

Amendments

made by section 2 and 3 [amending this section and section 90 of this title] take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 14, 1986]. “(2) The amendment made by section 4 [enacting this note] takes effect on the date of the enactment of this Act. “(b) Pending Actions.—The

Amendments

made by this Act [amending this section and section 90 of this title] shall not affect any action commenced before the

Effective Date

of such

Amendments

and pending on such date. “(c) Juries.—The

Amendments

made by this Act [amending this section and section 90 of this title] shall not affect the composition, or preclude the service, of any grand or petit jury summoned, empaneled, or actually serving on the

Effective Date

of such

Amendments

.”

Effective Date

of 1965 Amendment Pub. L. 89–242, § 6, Oct. 7, 1965, 79 Stat. 953, provided that: “The provisions of this Act [amending this section and section 133 of this title and enacting provisions set out as a note below] shall become effective on the first day of the month following the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 7, 1965].” Consolidation of South Carolina Into a Single Judicial District Pub. L. 89–242, §§ 2–5, Oct. 7, 1965, 79 Stat. 952, 953, provided for the consolidation, in compliance with section 132 of this title, of the Eastern and Western Districts of South Carolina into a single district with continuing jurisdiction over civil cases and criminal acts pending or committed prior to Nov. 1, 1965, and appropriate provisions for the appointment or transfer of United States attorneys, marshals, and other court personnel, then serving, from the two districts to the consolidated district.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

28 U.S.C. § 121

Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73