Should suspended SC lawmakers be temporarily replaced? SC Supreme Court won’t decide

The South Carolina Supreme Court has declined to resolve questions over whether Gov. Henry McMaster can temporarily fill the seats of suspended legislators.

Two lawsuits filed earlier this year argued the Republican governor not only can, but must, appoint temporary replacements for Rep. Jim Merrill of Charleston and Sen. John Courson of Columbia. They are among three legislators currently suspended amid accusations of corruption. Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington, is the third.

But the state’s high court declined last week to directly take the issue. The justices also denied requests to combine the two lawsuits. They gave no explanation.

Attorney James Davis said Thursday he’s frustrated. He believes the high court should weigh in on an issue that “strikes to the core of the most democratic of principles,” the right of representation.

A hearing in Merrill’s case is set for Friday.

The Associated Press