The Supreme Court of South Carolina
RE: Hurricane Irma
ORDER
On Friday, September 8, 2017, the Governor of South Carolina issued orders requiring the evacuation of certain barrier islands in Beaufort, Colleton and Jasper Counties in response to the approach of Hurricane Irma. Further, as a result of Hurricane Irma, state and county offices in six counties were closed on Friday, September 8, 2017. Twenty-four of the forty-six counties were closed on Monday, September 11, 2017, and the state and county offices in eleven counties remained closed on Tuesday, September 12, 2017. State and county offices were not open in all counties until Wednesday, September 13, 2017.
In addition to the mandatory evacuations mentioned above, many of the citizens of South Carolina voluntarily evacuated their homes as Hurricane Irma approached. While the harm to other states has been far more severe, Hurricane Irma did cause significant damage and disruption in South Carolina.
In light of the foregoing, this Court finds that Hurricane Irma adversely affected the ability of many lawyers and litigants to comply with deadlines in court proceedings. Accordingly, this Court finds it appropriate to declare the days of Friday, September 8, 2017, Monday, September 11, 2017, Tuesday, September 12, 2017, and Wednesday, September 13, 2017, to be statewide "holidays" for the purpose of Rule 263 of the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules, Rule 6 of the South Carolina Rules Civil Procedure, Rule 35 of the South Carolina Rules of Criminal Procedure, and Rule 3 of the South Carolina Rules of Magistrates Court.
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s/Donald W. Beatty C.J. s/John W. Kittredge J. s/Kaye G. Hearn J. s/John Cannon Few J. s/George C. James, Jr. J. |
Columbia, South Carolina
September 14, 2017