reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
SC Code § 2-19-50 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 19 - Election Of Justices And Judges|Section 2-19-50. Confidentiality of records, information and other material; destruction thereof.

 All records, information, and other material that the Judicial Merit Selection Commission has obtained or used to make its findings of fact, except materials, records, and information presented under oath at the public hearing, must be kept strictly confidential. After the commission has reported its findings of fact, all records, information, and material required to be kept confidential must be destroyed. The information required to be kept confidential also shall be exempt from disclosure pursuant to Chapter 4 of Title 30.  HISTORY: 1975 (59) 122; 1996 Act No. 391, Part I, Section 1; 1998 Act No. 388, Section 2.
SC Code § 2-19-60 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 19 - Election Of Justices And Judges|Section 2-19-60. Powers of Commission.

 The Judicial Merit Selection Commission in the discharge of its duties may administer oaths and affirmations, take depositions, and issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, and other records considered necessary in connection with the investigation of the candidate.  No person shall be excused from attending and testifying or from producing books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, or other records before the Judicial Merit Selection Commission on the ground that the testimony or evidence, documentary or otherwise, required of him may tend to incriminate him or subject him to a penalty or forfeiture. But no individual shall be prosecuted or subjected to any criminal penalty based upon testimony or evidence submitted or forfeiture for or on account of any transaction, matter, or thing concerning which he is compelled, after having claimed his privilege against self-incrimination, to testify or produce evidence, documentary or otherwise, except that the individual so testifying shall not be exempt from prosecution and punishment for perjury and false swearing committed in so testifying.  In case of contumacy by any person or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to any person, any circuit court of this State or circuit judge thereof within the jurisdiction of which the person guilty of contumacy or refusal to obey is found, resides, or transacts business, upon application by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission may issue to this person an order requiring him to appear before the commission to produce evidence if so ordered or to give testimony touching the matter under investigation. Any failure to obey an order of the court may be punished as a contempt hereof. Subpoenas shall be issued in the name of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission and shall be signed by the commission chairman. Subpoenas shall be issued to those persons as the commission may designate.  HISTORY: 1975 (59) 122; 1996 Act No. 391, Part I, Section 1.
SC Code § 2-19-80 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 19 - Election Of Justices And Judges|Section 2-19-80. Nomination of qualified candidates to the General Assembly.

 (A) The commission shall make nominations to the General Assembly of candidates and their qualifications for election to the Supreme Court, court of appeals, circuit court, family court, and the administrative law judge division. It shall review the qualifications of all applicants for a judicial office and select therefrom and submit to the General Assembly the names and qualifications of the three candidates whom it considers best qualified for the judicial office under consideration. If fewer than three persons apply to fill a vacancy or if the commission concludes there are fewer than three candidates qualified for a vacancy, it shall submit to the General Assembly only the names and qualifications of those who are considered to be qualified, with a written explanation for submitting fewer than three names.  (B) The nominations of the commission for any judgeship are binding on the General Assembly, and it shall not elect a person not nominated by the commission. Nothing shall prevent the General Assembly from rejecting all persons nominated. In this event, the commission shall submit another group of names and qualifications for that position. Further nominations in the manner required by this chapter must be made until the office is filled.  (C)(1) If the commission does not find the incumbent justice or judge qualified for the judicial office held and sought, his name shall not be submitted to the General Assembly for re-election and upon expiration of his then current term of office, he shall cease serving in that judicial position.  (2) If the commission finds an incumbent judge not qualified for the office sought, or if an incumbent judge dies, withdraws, or becomes otherwise disqualified for the office sought between the time he makes application for the office and the date of the election therefor, the election for the office may not be held at that scheduled time, and the commission shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter to make other nominations for the office as though a new vacancy without an incumbent exists in that office, including reopening the application process with all required notices. Nothing prevents the commission from including in its new nominations the names and qualifications of persons other than the incumbent judge it included in its previous nominations.  (D) The commission shall accompany its nominations to the General Assembly with reports or recommendations as to the qualifications of particular candidates.  (E) A period of at least two weeks must elapse between the date of the commission's nominations to the General Assembly and the date the General Assembly conducts the election for these judgeships.  HISTORY: 1990 Act No. 610, Part IV, Section 7; 1996 Act No. 391, Part I, Section 1; 2001 Act No. 49, Section 1.
SC Code § 2-19-90 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 19 - Election Of Justices And Judges|Section 2-19-90. Approval of General Assembly in joint session.

 The General Assembly shall meet in joint session for the election of judges. The date and time for the joint session shall be set by concurrent resolution upon the recommendation of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission. The Chairman of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission shall announce the commission's nominees for each judicial race, and no further nominating or seconding speeches shall be allowed by members of the General Assembly. In order to be elected, a candidate must receive a majority of the vote of the members of the General Assembly voting in joint session.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part I, Section 1.
SC Code § 2-19-100 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 19 - Election Of Justices And Judges|Section 2-19-100. Eligibility of retired judges for appointment.

 In order to be eligible for appointment by the Chief Justice to serve, any retired justice or judge of this State must have been reviewed by the Judicial Merit Selection Commission under procedures it shall establish to review retired judges' qualifications for continued judicial service and be found by the commission to be qualified to serve in these situations within four years of the date of his appointment to serve, except that if a justice or judge retired before the expiration of his then current term, no further review of that justice or judge is required until that term would have expired.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part I, Section 1; 1997 Act No. 35, Section 1.
SC Code § 2-19-110 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 19 - Election Of Justices And Judges|Section 2-19-110. Vacancy in office of master-in-equity; recommendations by county legislative delegations.

 Upon a vacancy in the office of master-in-equity, candidates therefor shall submit an application to the Judicial Merit Selection Commission. Upon completion of reports and recommendations, the commission shall submit such reports and recommendations on master-in-equity candidates to the appropriate county legislative delegations. The county legislative delegations shall then submit the name of a candidate to the Governor for consideration for appointment. Nothing shall prevent the Governor from rejecting the person nominated by the delegation. In this event, the delegation shall submit another name for consideration. No person found not qualified by the commission may be appointed to the office of master-in-equity. For purposes of this section, a vacancy is created in the office of the master-in-equity when any of the following occurs: a term expires, a new judicial position is created, or a judge no longer can serve due to resignation, retirement, disciplinary action, disability, or death. The Judicial Merit Selection Commission may begin screening prior to the actual date of the vacancy in the case of an expiration of term, resignation, or retirement pursuant to written notice thereof.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part I, Section 1; 1997 Act No. 35, Section 2.
SC Code § 2-19-120 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 19 - Election Of Justices And Judges|Section 2-19-120. Citizens Committees on Judicial Qualifications; membership; compensation.

 (A) The Chairman of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, upon the advice of the commission, shall select members to serve on Citizens Committees on Judicial Qualifications for each geographic district set by the commission. These committees shall, under the rules adopted by the commission, advise the commission concerning judicial candidates. The committees shall report their findings to the commission in such form as prescribed by the commission.  (B) The members appointed to the Citizens Committees on Judicial Qualifications shall be compensated with an emolument of one hundred dollars per round of screening.  HISTORY: 1997 Act No. 35, Section 3.
SC Code § 2-20-10 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-10. Appointment of joint committee; election of officers.

 Except as otherwise provided in Sections 58-3-520 and 58-3-530, whenever an election is to be held by the General Assembly in joint session, except for members of the judiciary and for trustees elected pursuant to Article 3, a joint committee composed of eight members, four of whom must be members of the House of Representatives and four of whom must be members of the Senate, must be appointed to consider the qualifications of the candidates. Each body shall determine how its respective members are selected. Each joint committee shall meet as soon after its appointment as practicable and elect one of its members as chairman, one as secretary, and other officers as it considers desirable.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part II, Section 2; 2006 Act No. 318, Section 232, eff May 24, 2006; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  The 2006 amendment in the first sentence substituted "Sections 58-3-520 and 58-3-530" for "Section 58-3-26".  2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, inserted "and for trustees elected pursuant to Article 3".
SC Code § 2-20-15 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-15. Elective office; notice of vacancy.

 For any office filled by election of the General Assembly for which screening is required pursuant to this chapter, except for judicial offices, the joint committee may not accept a notice of intention to seek the office from any candidate as provided by Section 2-20-10, until the clerk of the House or Senate, as appropriate, has certified that the proper notices required by this section have been published or provided or until the time for the publication of the notices has expired.  (1) If the office to be filled is from the State at large, a notice of the position vacancy must be forwarded to three newspapers of general circulation in the State with a request that it be published at least once a week for four consecutive weeks. If the office to be filled is from a congressional district, judicial circuit, or other area of this State less than the State at large, a notice of the position vacancy must be forwarded to three newspapers of general circulation in that district, circuit, or area with a request that it be published at least once a week for four consecutive weeks.  (2) Notices of the position vacancy also must be furnished, on or before the date of the first newspaper publication provided in item (1), in writing to any person who has informed the committee that he desires to be notified of the vacancy.  (3) If the office to be filled is from a congressional district, judicial circuit, or other area of the State but not from the State at large, notices of the position vacancy also must be provided to each member of the General Assembly representing a portion of that district, circuit, or area. If it is a position filled from the State at large, each member of the General Assembly shall receive the notice.  (4) The cost of the notification process required by this section must be absorbed and paid from the approved accounts of both houses as contained in the annual general appropriations act.  Nothing in this section prevents the joint committee from providing notices other than those required by this section, which the committee believes are appropriate.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part II, Section 2; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, reenacted the section with no apparent changes.
SC Code § 2-20-20 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-20. Notice of intention to seek office; investigation of candidate.

 Any person wishing to seek an office, which is elected by the General Assembly, shall file a notice of intention to seek the office with the joint committee. Upon receipt of the notice of intention, the joint committee shall begin to conduct investigation of the candidate as it considers appropriate and may in the investigation utilize the services of any agency of state government. The agency shall, upon request, cooperate fully with the joint committee.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part II, Section 2; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, reenacted the section with no apparent changes.
SC Code § 2-20-25 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-25. Notice required when person not seeking reelection to an office elected by General Assembly; extension of filing period.

 A person serving in an office elected by the General Assembly who is not seeking reelection must give written notice to the joint committee to review candidates for that office of his decision not to seek reelection. The notice must be given not less than thirty days before the last date for filing for that office. If the notice is given less than thirty days before the last date for filing for that office or if the notice is withdrawn and the person seeks reelection, the joint committee may reopen or extend, as appropriate, the time period for filing for the office. For purposes of this subsection, "person serving in an office elected by the General Assembly" includes a person serving in office as an appointee to an unexpired term.  HISTORY: 1999 Act No. 21, Section 1; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, reenacted the section with no apparent changes.
SC Code § 2-20-30 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-30. Public hearing of candidate qualifications.

 Upon completion of the investigation, the chairman of the joint committee shall schedule a public hearing concerning the qualifications of the candidates. The hearing shall be conducted no later than two weeks prior to the date set in the election resolution for the election. Any person who desires to testify at the hearing, including candidates, shall furnish a written statement of his proposed testimony to the chairman of the joint committee. These statements shall be furnished no later than forty-eight hours prior to the date and time set for the hearing. The joint committee shall determine the persons who shall testify at the hearing. All testimony, including documents furnished to the joint committee, shall be submitted under oath and persons knowingly furnishing false information either orally or in writing shall be subject to the penalties provided by law for perjury and false swearing. During the course of the investigation, the joint committee may schedule an executive session at which each candidate, and other persons whom the committee wishes to interview, may be interviewed by the joint committee on matters pertinent to the candidate's qualification for the office to be filled. A reasonable time thereafter the committee shall render its tentative findings as to whether the candidate is qualified for the office to be filled and its reasons therefor as to each candidate.  As soon as possible after the completion of the hearing, a verbatim copy of the testimony, documents submitted at the hearing, and findings of fact shall be transcribed and published in the journals of both houses or otherwise made available in a reasonable number of copies to the members of both houses prior to the date of the scheduled election, and a copy thereof shall be furnished to each candidate.  A candidate may withdraw at any stage of the proceedings, and in this event no further inquiry, report on, or consideration of his candidacy shall be made.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part II, Section 2; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, reenacted the section with no apparent changes.
SC Code § 2-20-35 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-35. Omitted.

 HISTORY: Former Section, titled Election of trustee of college or university; consideration of applicants by joint review committee, had the following history: 1996 Act No. 391, Part II, Section 2. Omitted by 2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.
SC Code § 2-20-40 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-40. Dispensation of public hearing on recommendation of joint committee; unopposed candidate.

 Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, when there is no known opposition to a candidate, and there appears to be no substantial reason for having a public hearing, whether or not the candidate be an incumbent, and no request is made by at least ten members of the House of Representatives and five members of the Senate for a public hearing, the joint committee chairman upon recommendation of the joint committee may determine that a public hearing is unnecessary and shall not be held, but no election shall be held prior to this determination.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part II, Section 2; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, reenacted the section with no apparent changes.
SC Code § 2-20-50 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-50. Confidentiality of records and other fact finding materials.

 All records, information, and other material that the joint committee has obtained or used to make its findings of fact, except materials, records, and information presented under oath at the public hearing, shall be kept strictly confidential. After the joint committee has reported its findings of fact, or after a candidate withdraws his name from consideration, all records, information, and material required to be kept confidential shall be destroyed.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part II, Section 2; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, reenacted the section with no apparent changes.
SC Code § 2-20-60 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-60. Powers of joint committee in discharge of investigatory duties; subpoena and contempt powers.

 The joint committee in the discharge of its duties may administer oaths and affirmations, take depositions, and issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, and other records considered necessary in connection with the investigation of the joint committee.  No person shall be excused from attending and testifying or from producing books, papers, correspondence, memoranda, or other records before the joint committee on the ground that the testimony or evidence, documentary or otherwise, required of him may tend to incriminate him or subject him to a penalty or forfeiture. However, no individual shall be prosecuted or subjected to any criminal penalty based upon testimony or evidence submitted or forfeiture for or on account of any transaction, matter, or thing concerning which he is compelled, after having claimed his privilege against self-incrimination, to testify or produce evidence, documentary or otherwise, except that the individual so testifying shall not be exempt from prosecution and punishment for perjury and false swearing committed in so testifying.  In case of contumacy by any person or refusal to obey a subpoena issued to any person, any circuit court of this State or circuit judge thereof within the jurisdiction of which the person guilty of contumacy or refusal to obey is found, resides, or transacts business, upon application by the joint committee may issue to the person an order requiring him to appear before the joint committee to produce evidence if so ordered or to give testimony touching the matter under investigation. Any failure to obey an order of the court may be punished as a contempt hereof. Subpoenas shall be issued in the name of the joint committee and shall be signed by the joint committee chairman. Subpoenas shall be issued to those persons as the joint committee may designate.  HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 391, Part II, Section 2; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, reenacted the section with no apparent changes.
SC Code § 2-20-70 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 2 - General Assembly|Chapter 20 - Nonjudicial Screening And Election|Section 2-20-70. Privilege of the floor during candidate's pending application or election; restrictions.

 The privilege of the floor in either house of the General Assembly may not be granted to any candidate, or any immediate family member of a candidate unless the family member is serving in the General Assembly, during the time the candidate's application is pending before the joint committee and during the time his election is pending in the General Assembly.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 388, Section 4; 2017 Act No. 17 (S.213), Section 1, eff May 9, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  2017 Act No. 17, Section 1, reenacted the section with no apparent changes.