South Carolina is trading its all-male Supreme Court for an all-white one

By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina is trading its all-male state Supreme court for an all-white one. The General Assembly picks almost all state judges. On Wednesday, lawmakers voted 152-0 to elevate Court of Appeals Judge Letitia Verdin to the state’s highest court. The white woman will take the seat of Black Chief Justice Don Beatty. He has reached the mandatory retirement age of 72. Verdin was the only candidate left after two other people dropped out when they realized they couldn’t get enough votes in the Legislature. Those candidates were an African American woman and a white man.