2004-12-13-01
The Supreme Court of South Carolina
RE: Extension of Time Regarding the Administration of
the Amended Judge's Oath
ORDER
By Order dated October 22, 2003, this Court revised the oath given to judges in this State and directed that all current judges take this new oath. A series of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars were established so that every judge in this State could have training relating to the new oath and also take the new oath during 2004.1 The new oath is now contained in Rule 502.1 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules.
It now appears that there will be a number of members of the judiciary of this State who will not have completed the required CLE seminar by the end of this calendar year. Additional CLE seminars will be scheduled during January and February 2005.
All judges of this State who have not completed the required CLE seminar and taken the new oath must do so by February 28, 2005. The Office of Court Administration will provide this Court with a list of names of those judges who have not completed the required CLE seminar and received the new oath by April 1, 2005. This Court will issue an order suspending these judges from their office, and they may petition this Court for reinstatement once they provide proof that they have completed the required CLE seminar and taken the new oath.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
s/Jean H. Toal C.J. s/E.C. Burnett, III J. s/Costa M. Pleicones J. |
Columbia, South Carolina
December 13, 2004
1 If the judge is a lawyer in South Carolina, the judge must also take the revised oath that is now required for all lawyers. The judge may take both oaths at the CLE seminar for the new judicial oath. By order issued today, this Court has extended the time for lawyers to take the required oath until February 28, 2005.