Title 14, Courts

No judge or other judicial officer shall preside on the trial of any cause when he may be connected with either of the parties by consanguinity or affinity within the sixth degree.

All persons necessarily going to, attending on, or returning from, the courts of record of this State shall be free from arrest, except on criminal process for treason, felony or breach of the peace. Thirty miles per day shall be allowed such persons for travelling.

In case any person shall commit any misbehavior or contempt in any court of judicature in this State, by word or gesture, the judges of such court may set a fine on such offender in any sum not exceeding fifty dollars, for the use of this State, and may commit the offender till p…

When any affray shall happen during the sitting of any court within this State and within the hearing or to the disturbance of the court, the court shall order the sheriff or other lawful officer to take the affrayers or other disturbers of the peace or those guilty of contempt a…

The various undertakings required to be given by this Title must be filed with the clerk of the court, unless the court expressly provides for a different disposition thereof.

In each county containing a city having more than seventy thousand population, according to the official United States census, all jurors for courts inferior to the circuit court and having both civil and criminal jurisdiction shall be drawn from the jury box and tales box provid…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any monies received by a person for service as a juror in any court of this State shall be considered an expense allowance for such service.

The words "real property" and "real estate," as used in this Title, are coextensive with lands, tenements and hereditaments.

The General Assembly shall establish the salary of the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court in the annual general appropriation act with the salary of the Chief Justice to be one hundred five percent of the salary fixed for Associate Justices of the Supreme C…

The revenue from the twelve dollar additional assessments imposed pursuant to Section 56-5-2995 must be distributed as follows: (1) eighty-four percent to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities for the Head and Spinal Cord Injuries Family Support Progr…

(A) The clerk of the appropriate court, or county treasurer or municipal treasurer, as appropriate, is authorized to collect any fine, penalty, cost, fee, assessment, surcharge, service charge, restitution, or other amount imposed by a court or as a direct consequence of a court …

The revenue from the fee set in Section 63-3-370(C) must be remitted to the county in which the proceeding is instituted. Forty-four percent of the revenues must be remitted monthly by the fifteenth day of each month to the State Treasurer on forms in a manner prescribed by him. …

(A) The one-hundred-dollar-filing fee for documents and actions described in Section 8-21-310(C)(1) must be remitted to the county in which the proceeding is instituted, and fifty-six percent of these filing fee revenues must be delivered to the county treasurer to be remitted mo…

Except as provided in Sections 17-15-260, 34-11-90, and 56-5-4160, on January 1, 1995, fifty-six percent of all costs, fees, fines, penalties, forfeitures, and other revenues generated by the circuit courts and the family courts, except the one-hundred-dollar-filing fee prescribe…

(A) A person who is convicted of, pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, or forfeits bond for an offense occurring after June 30, 2008, tried in general sessions court must pay an amount equal to 107.5 percent of the fine imposed as an assessment. This assessment must be paid to th…

(A) A person who is convicted of, pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, or forfeits bond for an offense occurring after June 30, 2008, tried in magistrates court must pay an amount equal to 107.5 percent of the fine imposed as an assessment. This assessment must be paid to the mag…

(A) A person who is convicted of, or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, or forfeits bond for an offense occurring after June 30, 2008, tried in municipal court must pay an amount equal to 107.5 percent of the fine imposed as an assessment. This assessment must be paid to the mu…

(A) If a payment for a fine and assessment levied in the circuit court is made in installments, the clerk of court must treat sixty-two percent of each installment as payment for a fine and distribute it pursuant to Section 14-1-205 and thirty-eight percent of each installment as…

(A) Based upon a random selection process, the State Auditor shall periodically examine the books, accounts, receipts, disbursements, vouchers, and any records considered necessary of the county treasurers, municipal treasurers, county clerks of court, magistrates, and municipal …

(A)(1) In addition to all other assessments and surcharges, a one hundred dollar surcharge is imposed on all convictions obtained in general sessions court and a twenty-five dollar surcharge is imposed on all convictions obtained in magistrates and municipal courts in this State.…

(A) In addition to all other assessments and surcharges, a twenty-five dollar surcharge is imposed on all fines, forfeitures, escheatments, or other monetary penalties imposed in the general sessions court or in magistrates or municipal court for misdemeanor traffic offenses or f…

(A) In addition to all other assessments and surcharges required to be imposed by law, a one hundred fifty dollar surcharge is also levied on all fines, forfeitures, escheatments, or other monetary penalties imposed in general sessions court or in magistrates or municipal court f…

(A) Clerks of court, registers of deeds, magistrates, and municipal court judges may: (1) accept payment by credit card or debit card of a fine, fee, assessment, court cost, or other surcharge; and (2) impose a fee for processing payment by credit card. Notwithstanding fees impos…

A retired judge or justice from the Supreme Court, court of appeals, or circuit court of this State may be assigned by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to preside over any official proceeding in any circuit court of this State. A retired judge or justice from the Supreme Co…

No active family court judge may be assigned to preside over any official proceeding in the circuit court except that the Chief Justice may appoint an active family court judge as a special circuit court judge to accept grand jury presentments and to accept and impose sentences f…

The State, or a person or entity acting on behalf of the State, is not required to pay filing fees as provided in this chapter or as otherwise provided by law in proceedings brought pursuant to Chapter 48 of Title 44, the Sexually Violent Predator Act.

From the deposits made pursuant to Section 14-1-206(C)(6), Section 14-1-207(C)(5), and Section 14-1-208(C)(5), three million two hundred thousand dollars shall be allocated to the following agencies for support of the programs specified: (1) five hundred thousand dollars to the D…

Each city recorder, mayor, or municipal clerk of court or other person who receives monies from the cost of court assessments in criminal or traffic cases in the municipal courts shall transmit all these monies to the Office of State Treasurer. Each county clerk of court, magistr…

The State Treasurer shall record, before the last day of that same month, the total monthly submissions of monies from the respective county treasurers and municipal clerks of courts, and the Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services shall deposit these monies into a s…

A judge, court, or court official shall not appoint an attorney to represent a party in a civil action unless the authority to make the appointment is provided specifically by statute.

Section terminates June 30, 2016. (A) In addition to all other assessments and surcharges required to be imposed by law, a five dollar surcharge to fund training at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy is also levied on all fines, forfeitures, escheatments, or other moneta…

The words "personal property," as used in this Title, include money, goods, chattels, things in action and evidences of debt.

The word "clerk", as used in this title, signifies the clerk of the court where the action is pending and, in the Supreme Court or court of appeals, the clerk of the county mentioned in the title of the complaint or in another county to which the court may have changed the place …

All, and every part, of the common law of England, where it is not altered by the Code or inconsistent with the Constitution or laws of this State, is hereby continued in full force and effect in the same manner as before the adoption of this section.

The rule of common law that statutes in derogation of that law are to be strictly construed has no application to this Title.

The following are courts of justice in this State: (1) the court for trial of impeachments; (2) the Supreme Court; (3) the court of appeals; (4) the circuit courts, to wit: (a) a court of common pleas and (b) a court of general sessions; (5) probate courts; (6) the family courts;…

These courts shall exercise the jurisdiction now vested in them respectively except as otherwise prescribed.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall be the administrative head of all courts in this State. He shall examine the administrative methods, systems and activities of the courts and their employees, examine the dockets of the several courts and require the courts and their e…

Effective July 1, 1985, the Chief Justice is empowered to adjust salary levels of employees of the Judicial Department from funds appropriated to the Judicial Department.

All single county and multi-county family courts, juvenile courts, domestic relations courts, juvenile and domestic relations courts, shall be abolished on July 1, 1977, and the jurisdiction of such courts devolved upon the statewide family court system as established by this tit…

Any judge of a court abolished pursuant to the provisions of Section 14-2-10 who also served as master-in-equity, standing master or special referee shall unless elected family court judge continue to serve as such master or special referee until July 1, 1979. If such judge is el…

Any court inferior to the circuit court which has other jurisdiction in addition to its jurisdiction which is granted to the family courts as provided by Section 14-2-10 shall continue to have such other jurisdiction, including civil, criminal, or both, until July 1, 1979.

Except as provided in Section 22-3-10, the provisions of 1976 Act No. 690, as codified in this title and elsewhere in this Code, shall not affect the jurisdiction, duties or functions of the magistrate and municipal courts of this State.

County courts and other similar courts with jurisdiction inferior to the circuit courts and the office of standing master shall be abolished on July 1, 1979, and the jurisdiction of the office devolved upon the unified court system; provided, however, that such county courts, oth…

The Supreme Court by rule or order shall provide for the transition into the unified judicial system of the jurisdiction of those courts abolished by the provisions of this act and for the assignment of cases pending at such time.

The Supreme Court shall consist of a Chief Justice and four associate justices, who shall be elected by a joint viva voce vote of the General Assembly for a term of ten years and shall continue in office until their successors are elected and qualified. They shall be so classifie…