An Act to consolidate the two judicial districts of the State of South Carolina into a single judicial district and to make suitable transitional provisions with respect thereto
PL 89-242 (S.1620), enacted 10/07/1965

79 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 89-242-OCT. 7, 1965 
951 
Public Law 89-242 
AN A C T 
October 7, 1965 
To consolidate the two judicial districts of the State of South Carolina into a 
^^' ^^^°^ 
single judicial district and to make suitable transitional provisions with 
respect thereto. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That (a) section tri"''''s^c'^'^' 
121 of title 28 of the United States Code is amended to read as follows: "co^Asoiidation 
"§121. South Carolina 
62 stat. 889. 
"South Carolina constitutes one judicial district comprising ten 
divisions. 
"(1) The Charleston Division comprises the counties of 
Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dor-
chester, Georgetown, and Jasper. 
"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, Barnwell, and Hampton. 
"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 Orange-
burg. 
"(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." 
(b) The existing district judgeships for the Eastern District of 
South Carolina, the Western District of South Carolina, and the 
Eastern and Western Districts of South Carolina heretofore provided 
for by section 133 of title 28 of the United States Code shall hereafter 
75 stat. 8i. 
be district judgeships for the District of South Carolina and the 
present incumbents of such judgeships shall henceforth hold their 
offices under section 133, as amended by this Act. 
(c) In order that the table contained in section 133 of title 28 of the 
United States Code will reflect the change made by this section in the 
952 
PUBLIC LAW 89-242-OCT. 7, 1965 
[79 STAT. 
Consolidation of 
districts. 
62 Stat. 895. 
Appointment of 
U.S. attorneys. 
number of districts in the State of South Carolina, such table is 
amended by striking out the following: 
"South Carolina: 
Eastern 
1 
Western 
1 
Eastern and Western 
2" 
and inserting in lieu thereof the following: 
"South Carolina 
4". 
SEC. 2. In compliance with section 132 of title 28 of the United 
States Code the District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts 
of South Carolina are hereby consolidated into, and shall henceforth 
constitute, a single District Court for the District of South Carolina. 
No loss or interruption of the jurisdiction of the consolidated District 
Court for the District of South Carolina over cases and controversies 
heretofore decided by or now pending in the District Courts for the 
Eastern and Western Districts of South Carolina shall result from 
such consolidation and prosecutions for offenses committed within the 
Eastern and Western Districts of South Carolina prior to the effective 
date of this Act shall be commenced and proceeded with the same as if 
such consolidation had not occurred. For the purpose of the trial of 
such offenses, the District Courts for the Eastern and Western Dis-
tricts of South Carolina are continued in existence and the judges of 
the District Court for the District of South Carolina shall sit as judges 
in such courts according to assignment made by the chief judge of the 
United States District Court for the District of South Carolina or the 
chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth 
Circuit. The District Court for the District of South Carolina shall 
appoint a clerk who shall supersede the clerks of the District Courts 
for the Eastern and Western Districts of South Carolina and who 
shall maintain his office at Columbia until the court otherwise directs 
pursuant to sections 457 and 751(c) of title 28 of the United States 
Code. The presently existing records of the District Courts for the 
Eastern and Western Districts of South Carolina shall be placed in 
his custody. 
SEC. 3. When the term of office of either the United States attorney 
for the Eastern District of South Carolina or the United States attor-
ney for the Western District of South Carolina, holding office on the 
date of enactment of this Act, has expired, the President is authorized 
to appoint a United States attorney for the District of South Carolina 
as provided by section 501 of title 28 of the LTnited States Code. 
Until 
the United States attorney for the District of South Carolina has been 
appointed as herein authorized and has qualified, the United States 
attorney for the Eastern District of South Carolina holding office on 
the date of enactment of this Act shall continue to serve as a United 
States attorney and to perform the duties of such office in the Charles-
ton, Columbia, Orangeburg, Florence, and Aiken divisions of the Dis-
trict of South Carolina, and the United States attorney for the Western 
District of South Carolina holding office on the date of enactment of 
this Act shall continue to serve as a United States attorney and to 
perform the duties of such office in the Greenville, Rock Hill, Green-
wood, Spartanburg, and Anderson divisions of the District of South 
Carolina. 
In the event a vacancy, other than a vacancy resulting from 
expiration of term, arises in either of such offices prior to the appoint-
ment as herein authorized and qualification, of a United States attorney 
for the District of South Carolina the incumbent of the other such 
office shall also perform the duties of the office in which the vacancy 
occurs until such appointment and qualification. 
79 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 89-242-OCT. 7, 1965 
953 
SEC. 4. When the term of office of either the United States marshal ^ s^^°a"sha^"* °^ 
for the Eastern District of South Carolina or the United States mar-
shal for the Western District of South Carolina, holding office on the 
date of enactment of this Act, has expired, the President is authorized 
to appoint a United States marshal for the District of South Carolina 
as provided by section 541(a) of title 28 of the United States Code. 
^2 statl 910. 
Until the United States marshal for the District of South Carolina 
has been appointed as herein authorized and has qualified, the United 
States marshal for the Eastern District of South Carolina holding 
office on the date of enactment of this Act shall continue to serve as a 
United States marshal and to perform the duties of such office in the 
Charleston, Columbia, Orangeburg, Florence, and Aiken divisions of 
the District of South Carolina, and the United States marshal for the 
Western District of South Carolina holding office on the date of enact-
ment of this Act shall continue to serve as a United States marshal and 
to perform the duties of such office in the Greenville, Rock Hill, 
Greenwood, Spartanburg, and Anderson divisions of the District of 
South Carolina. In the event a vacancy, other than a vacancy result-
ing from expiration of term, arises in either of such offices prior to the 
appointment as herein authorized and qualification of a United States 
marshal for the District of South Carolina the incumbent of the other 
such office shall also perform the duties of the office in which the 
vacancy occurs until such appointment and qualification. 
SEO. 5. All deputy clerks, clerical assistants, and other employees of g^^""'"' ^'"f'^°y-
the clerks, all court reporters, all probation officers and their clerical 
assistants, all referees in bankruptcy and their clerical assistants, all 
United States commissioners and all other presently serving officers 
and employees of the United States District Courts for the Eastern 
and Western Districts of South Carolina shall henceforth be officers 
or employees, as the case may be, of the United States District Court 
for the District of South Carolina and shall hold their offices or em-
ployment under and perform their duties for that court. All presently 
serving assistant United States attorneys and clerical assistants of the 
United States attorneys and all presently serving deputy marshals 
and clerical assistants of the United States marshals appointed for the 
Eastern or Western District of South Carolina shall henceforth hold 
their offices or employment for the District of South Carolina. 
SEC. 6. The provisions of this Act shall become effective on the first Effective date. 
day of the month following the date of enactment of this Act, 
Approved October 7, 1965. 
49-850 0-66—63