If You’re African-American, Do Not Apply’: South Carolina Elect All White Judges to Dismay of Black Lawmakers
Earlier this month, South Carolina’s General Assembly elected nearly two dozen judges to preside over cases across the state’s court system. No African Americans were selected for the judgeships. Instead, most of them were granted to white men, a fact that once again highlighted the state’s diversity problem, according to Black lawmakers who bristled at the legislative vote.
What this says to me is if you’re African American, do not apply, state Rep. Leon Howard (D-Columbia) told Atlanta Black Star this week. While Howard was outraged by the Feb. 3 elections, he was not surprised. He said South Carolina has had a dearth of Black judges since he was first elected in 1995.
But Howard recognized how critical it is to reverse that long trend to keep young Black men from going before so many overly conservative judges.