Former SC Rep. Clemmons will be recommended for judge opening by Horry delegation
Former South Carolina Rep. Alan Clemmons appears on his way to securing a lucrative judge position in Horry County.
The Myrtle Beach Republican “has commitments from a majority” of the 15-member Horry County legislative delegation, according to state Sen. Greg Hembree, who chairs the delegation. He is planning to submit the delegation’s recommendation to Gov. Henry McMaster Thursday, he said.
Hembree noted that the other two candidates for the open Horry County Master-in-Equity judgeship dropped out upon learning of Clemmons’ majority support.
The other candidates, attorneys Charles B. Jordan Jr. and Douglas M. Zayicek, could not immediately be reached.
Clemmons resigned abruptly in July 2020 after 18 years in office and shortly after winning the Republican primary seeking reelection to represent District 107. Case Brittain, who Clemmons defeated in that primary, would go on to win that seat after the resignation.
About a year later, he applied for the judge opening after the county’s current Master-in-Equity, Cynthia Graham Howe, announced she would not seek another six-year term. Her current salary is $188,873, according to county spokeswoman Kelly Moore.
South Carolina law requires former legislators to wait at least a year after leaving office before seeking a judicial appointment.
Appearing before the Judicial Merit Selection Commission in January, Clemmons denied accusations he is sexist and vindictive against political enemies, which were accusations stemming from anonymous surveys of other attorneys.
No one on the commission questioned the timing of his resignation from the S.C. House, though rumors swirled even at the time that his resignation was directly related to a future bid for the Master-in-Equity position, according to FITSNews.
While he was still in office, Clemmons had unsuccessfully sought local government positions, first as the Myrtle Beach city attorney and then as Horry County administrator, though he ended up withdrawing his name for consideration from the latter.
The selection commission deemed all three candidates qualified for open judgeship.
A Master-in-Equity “decides cases generally involving foreclosures, partitions, and other equity matters, such as accountings, supplemental proceedings, and any other matters involving non-jury matters in which the parties have agreed that the Master shall hear the case,” according to the county website.
Clemmons runs his own law firm and handles foreclosure cases among other real estate type cases, telling the commission he has worked on more than 2,900 cases with a majority being in the Master-in-Equity courtroom.
Clemmons will still need the governor’s approval before he’s appointed to the seat. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Former SC Rep. Clemmons will be recommended for judge opening by Horry delegation."
