Governor's veto cuts South Carolina judicial budget

July 13, 2012

Columbia, South Carolina: Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal, of the South Carolina Supreme Court, is arguing against a recent veto by Gov. Nikki Haley that eliminated $2.8 million from the state's judicial budget. Toal says that the money is necessary to operate the courts' online case-management system. The State Bar Association agreed, stating, "The Judicial Department’s IT operations provide our citizens with an improved ability to gain access to our state’s court system. The veto of the Judicial Department’s entire IT operations budget has, in effect, severely limited South Carolinians’ access to justice."

However, the Governor argued that the court could fund the electronic system through filing fees. "Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed legislation allowing the Judicial Department to establish electronic filing fees at a level that would cover the cost of providing the underlying services," she wrote in her veto message. The Governor's spokesman said that such fees are estimated to result in $5.5 million in additional income annually.

Chief Justice Toal explained that, since the system for collecting electronic filing fees has yet to be created, the money won't be available for at least 18 months. State lawmakers must decide whether or not to override the veto.

See also

• South Carolina salaries and budgets