Title 14, Courts

Each circuit judge, when disabled by sickness or other cause to hold any court to which he may be assigned, shall give or cause to be given prompt notice of such inability or disability to the Chief Justice so that his place may be temporarily filled and the court held according …

Whenever any circuit judge, pending his assignment to hold the courts of any circuit, shall die, resign, be disabled by illness or be excused for any other reason considered sufficient in the opinion of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or in case of a vacancy in the office …

In the event there be no other disengaged circuit judge available to hold such courts, then the Governor shall immediately commission as special judge some person learned in the law, as shall be recommended by the Supreme Court or by the Chief Justice thereof if the Supreme Court…

Whenever the time fixed for holding any of the courts of general sessions or common pleas of this State shall be found not sufficient for the trial of all cases before the court, a like assignment of a disengaged circuit judge or commission of a special judge may be had to hold t…

Should there be a vacancy in the office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or in case of his absence from the State or of his illness or incapacity from whatever cause, then the power and authority vested and the duties imposed upon the Chief Justice by the provisions of Secti…

The courts of common pleas shall, at the expense of the State, have a seal for each county of an impression similar to that of the court of common pleas in Charleston County and uniform with that seal except that each seal shall in the legend have the name of the court in which i…

The special judge shall be allowed for his services per diem of one hundred ($100.00) dollars and his necessary expenses and the same per diem for not exceeding five days for the preparation of his decrees.

Whenever it shall so happen that any circuit court in this State cannot be held at the time appointed, in consequence of the absence or indisposition of the judge, the clerk of such court or his deputy shall open and adjourn the court from day to day until the court shall meet or…

When notified of the appointment of a special judge to hold a special term, the clerk of the court shall notify the proper authorities and the grand jury shall be summoned to attend, if it be a court of sessions, and a petit jury shall be drawn and summoned, if jury cases are to …

The circuit courts may make and establish all necessary rules for the orderly conducting of business in said courts, provided such rules are not repugnant to the laws of the State or the rules prescribed by the justices of the Supreme Court and circuit judges.

The circuit court may punish by fine or imprisonment, at the discretion of the court, all contempts of authority in any cause or hearing before the same.

The circuit court may administer all necessary oaths or affirmations.

Circuit judges may hear appeals from magistrates' courts and municipal courts to the court of general sessions and the court of common pleas, upon notice as required by law being given for the hearing of such appeals.

All regular and special judges shall have at chambers in any county within the circuit in which they are resident or in the circuit in which they are assigned to hold court all powers and jurisdiction which they have and exercise in open court in any county within such circuit, e…

Circuit judges may grant orders and decrees in cases arising in the circuit in which they may be at the time the presiding judges therein or resident judges thereof, when they are temporarily absent from the circuit. This provision shall not be construed so as to nullify or limit…

In case any judicial circuit is without a resident judge, by reason of death, absence, disqualification or otherwise, and no other judge, special or regular, is presiding therein, then jurisdiction in all matters arising in such circuit is conferred upon and shall be exercised by…

Every judge while holding the circuit court for any circuit pursuant to the provisions of the law of this State shall be invested with powers equal to those of the judge of such circuit and may hear and determine all causes and motions and grant all orders in open court or at cha…

Every circuit judge in this State shall at all times have jurisdiction to discharge and perform all the duties of his office within the circuit wherein he resides, except the holding of circuit courts therein when some other circuit judge shall be engaged in holding such courts.

Any judge of the circuit court of this State who may be presiding at a court in any county in the State at a term beginning the last Monday in April of any year shall have jurisdiction of all matters throughout such term, notwithstanding such term may extend into the month of May…

Whenever provision is made for holding the court of common pleas the presiding judge, during the time allowed for the holding of the court of common pleas, may open the court of general sessions and transact all or such business of the court of general sessions except trials by j…

The court of common pleas shall be open at all terms of the court of general sessions for the transaction of all business of regular terms of the court of common pleas except trial by jury, and cases in the court of common pleas may be tried by jury during the term of any court o…

Should the business before the court of general sessions at any term not be completed on the arrival of the day fixed by law for the holding of the court of common pleas, the judge presiding may, in his discretion, adjourn the court of common pleas until the business of the court…

Regular terms of the court of common pleas fixed by statute shall not be called off by the request of the members of the bar in the county in which the court is to be held unless at least three fourths of the resident members of such bar having cases for trial at that time reques…

The judge of the circuit court shall have power to direct any circuit court in his circuit to be adjourned over to a future day designated in a written order to the clerk of such court whenever there is a dangerous and general disease at the place where such court is usually held…

(A) The State is divided into sixteen judicial circuits as follows: (1) The first circuit is composed of the counties of Calhoun, Dorchester, and Orangeburg. (2) The second circuit is composed of the counties of Aiken, Bamberg, and Barnwell. (3) The third circuit is composed of t…

The courts of the first judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Calhoun County. - The court of general sessions for Calhoun County shall be held at St. Matthews on the fourth Monday in May, the fourth Monday in September, and the first Monday in February. The …

The courts of the second judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Aiken County. - The court of general sessions for Aiken County shall be held at Aiken on the second Monday in January for two weeks, the first Monday in May for three weeks and the first Monday i…

The courts of the third judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Clarendon County. - The court of general sessions for Clarendon County shall be held at Manning on the fourth Monday in January, the third Monday in June and the second Monday in September, each f…

The courts of the fourth judicial circuit shall be held as follows: (1) Courts of general sessions. - At Chesterfield for Chesterfield County on the first Monday in February, the third Monday in May and the second Monday in October; at Bennettsville for Marlboro County on the sec…

All recognizances, pleadings, notices and papers shall be returnable and applicable to the terms of the court as fixed by Section 14-5-650 and the clerk of the court for each county in the fourth judicial circuit shall give two weeks' notice of each and every term of the court in…

The courts of the fifth judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Kershaw County. - The court of general sessions for Kershaw County shall be held at Camden on the third Monday in February, the third Monday in May and the fourth Monday in October. The court of c…

The courts held under the provisions of Section 14-5-670 in the fifth circuit during the first four months of the year shall be known as the spring term of the court of general sessions and the spring term of the court of common pleas, during the next four months as the summer te…

The first day of each term of the court of common pleas provided for in the fifth circuit shall be set aside for pretrial motions and all matters not requiring a jury, except those two terms in Richland County of which an entire week is designated for that purpose as herein provi…

The courts of the sixth judicial circuit shall be held for a term of one week, unless otherwise specified, as hereinafter provided. (1) Chester County. - The court of general sessions for the county of Chester shall be held at Chester on the second Monday in January, on the first…

The courts of the seventh judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Cherokee County. - The court of common pleas for Cherokee County shall be held at Gaffney on the first Monday of March for two weeks, on the first Monday of May for two weeks, and on the first M…

If the business of the court of general sessions is not concluded at the end of any week, except the second week in January at Spartanburg, the petit jury drawn for that term of the sessions court shall be continued for the next week or until the business of the sessions court is…

The courts of the eighth judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Abbeville County. - The court of general sessions for Abbeville County shall be held at Abbeville on the first Monday in February, the first Monday in May, and the first Monday in September, in e…

The courts of the ninth judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Berkeley County. - The court of general sessions for Berkeley County shall be held at Moncks Corner on the second Monday in May and on the second Monday in October, in each case for one week. The …

The courts of the tenth judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Anderson County. - The court of general sessions for Anderson County shall be held at Anderson on the first Monday in February for two weeks, the second Monday in May for two weeks, the first Mond…

The courts of the eleventh judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Edgefield County. - The court of general sessions for Edgefield County shall be held at Edgefield on the first Monday in March, the second Monday in July, and the fourth Monday in October. The …

The presiding judge shall call calendars two and three peremptorily on Wednesday after the opening of the court of general sessions or as soon before or thereafter as there may be time for the same and the court deems it proper in the counties of Lexington and Saluda, but in no e…

The courts of the twelfth judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Marion County. - The court of general sessions for Marion County shall be held at Marion on the third Monday in February, on the third Monday in April, on the fourth Monday in June, and on the f…

The courts of the thirteenth judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Greenville County.—(a) The court of common pleas for Greenville County shall be held at Greenville on the fourth Monday in January for four weeks, on the fourth Monday in March with two weeks…

The courts in the fourteenth judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Allendale County. - The courts of general sessions for Allendale County shall be held at Allendale on the third Monday in April for one week, on the second Monday in July for one week and on …

The courts of the fifteenth judicial circuit shall be held as hereinafter provided. (1) Horry County. The Court of General Sessions for Horry County shall be held at Conway on the second Monday in January for one week, on the first Monday in March for two weeks, on the first Mond…

The courts of the sixteenth judicial circuit shall be held for a term of one week, unless otherwise specified, as hereinafter provided. (1) Union County. - The court of common pleas for Union County shall be held at Union on the second Monday of February for two weeks, on the fir…