For the first time in nearly two many years, there will be no black justices on the South Carolina Supreme Court

For the first time in nearly two many years, the South Carolina Supreme Court will be all-white. This all-white court will be making decisions in a state where a 3rd of the population is black and Latino.

Chief Justice Don Beatty is currently the only black justice on the Supreme Court, and the Associated Press reports that he “must go because he has reached the mandatory retirement age of 72.”

One black candidate ran for the open seat, but U.S. District Judge Jocelyn Newman withdrew her candidacy last week. Now only two candidates the rest, and if Judge Blake Hewitt prevails over Judge Letitia Verdin, the court will be “both male and all-white.”

The lack of representation amongst state judges has long been a degree of contention, and the court was already facing “scrutiny as the only all-male court in the country.” Last yr, in a 4-1 decision, the justices ruled upholding the strict six-week period miscarriage prohibition. “This decision was made after the woman who wrote the majority opinion in the 3-2 ruling had to retire due to her age and lawmakers made minor changes to the law, allowing for another review by the high court.”

In an interview with ETV in South Carolina after leaving court, Associate Justice Kaye Hearn said: “Sometimes it’s nice to look at this bench and see someone who looks like you.”

Five years ago, Black legislators he even staged a strike during judicial elections because the state legislature, which “elects South Carolina’s judges… so rarely elected lawyers of color.”

Democratic State Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter says: “It’s disgraceful. Whether someone likes it or not, we have a diverse country. The people appearing in front of the bench are diverse. The judges they face should be diverse.”

According to Brennan Center for Justice in the State Supreme Court Diversity Report, last updated in May 2023, 18 states have no judges of color, “including 12 states where people of color make up at least 20 percent of the population.”

Key findings from report it also included the following facts: “There are no black judges in 24 states. There are no Latino judges in 40 states and D.C. There are no Asian-American judges in 42 states. There are no Native American judges in 47 states and D.C..” In addition, “[a]exceeding the highest courts in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., only 20 percent of state supreme court seats are held by people of color. In contrast, people of color make up greater than 40 percent of the U.S. population.”

However, provided that people have more contact with the justice system than with the other two branches of presidency, diversity in the composition of presidency bodies is important. As Director and Director of the Brennan Center for Justice Judiciary programAlicia Bannon states: “Research suggests that diversity can increase public confidence in the courts and may lead to greater trust if people look at the courts and see judges who look like them.”

“Today’s opposition will be the majority tomorrow. It is important that her perspective determines the legal framework that may be adopted by the courts in the future,” she continued Bannon.