The state of South Carolina’s judicial system consists of 8 different court levels, with the Supreme Court being the highest level of the judicial system. Each court carries out different duties and responsibilities of the SC judicial system.
Understanding SC Judicial System
The SC Judicial System is made up of 8 different courts. Aside from the court system, the judicial system in SC includes the defense and prosecution including the circuit solicitors, the Attorney General’s office, and the S.C. Commission of Appellate Defense.
Here is a breakdown of the courts and the cases handled by each court:
- Supreme Court- Usually handles the following type of appeal cases: death penalty, election laws, public utility rates, a family court case involving abortion of a minor, constitutional issues, public bond issues, and limitations placed on investigations through an order by a state grand jury.
- Appeals Court- Handles appeals that are not heard by the Supreme Court.
- Circuit Court- The Circuit court is divided into 2 sections. Civil which is the Court of Common Pleas, and criminal, which is the Court of General Sessions.
- Masters-in-Equity- Handle equity cases sent to them from Circuit Courts.
- Family Courts- Responsible for domestic and family cases including but not limited to a marriage, divorce, custody, termination of parental rights, adoption, and other cases involving minors or family matters.
- Magistrate Courts- These courts preside over cases where offenses are criminal traffic, or minor criminal(fines less than $500 and confinement less than 30 days).
- Municipal Courts- Handles ordinances and cases similar to Magistrate courts.
- Probate Courts- Preside over marriage licenses, guardianships, estates, and minor settlements.
How to Find SC Court Records
If you need to find SC court records, case information, and/or court documents you can find the information using the SC Judicial Branch online search portal link: https://www.sccourts.org/casesearch/. SC Court records for all counties in SC can be accessed through this link.
SC Judicial Branch Online Search Portal
Once you have accessed the case search page of the portal, you will need to select the county that the court case was filed in. After selecting the county, you will be redirected to the SC court records search page for that county.
You can perform a search for court records by name and/or case number. If your search yielded a large number of results, you can filter the search results to narrow down your results. Advanced search options that are available include all courts or select a specific court, all date types or select a date type, all agencies, and/or search the name by what it contains or the beginning letter of the name.
When you have entered all the information for your records search criteria click submit and you will be directed to the search results page. Scroll through the results until you find the court record that you are searching for.
Accessing Additional Information
The SC Court records search portal provides court case information that is accessible to the public. This includes the disposition, case number, date filed, financial history, events and court hearings, judge, and parties involved in the case. If you need documents or files for SC court records you would need to contact the County Clerk where the case was filed.