Editorials from around South Carolina: Jean Toal, Clemson Tigers, Lindsey Graham

Jean Toal

S.C. Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal has accomplished a lot more than just being the first — the first woman to chair a standing committee of the S.C. House of Representatives, the first woman, and first Roman Catholic, on the S.C. Supreme Court and then the first female chief justice. …

And as a justice, she argued successfully that children could no longer be confined to mental health institutions because adequate detention facilities were unavailable.

As she retires — mandatory at age 72 — she is recognized for her commitment to the fair treatment of women and minorities.

And as chief justice, she was a forceful and effective advocate for a state judicial branch that frequently had to cajole the Legislature into providing more support.

She is credited with technology initiatives that included network connectivity to all 46 county courthouses and an online statewide case management system that improved efficiency and transparency.

She supported civics education that brings middle and high school students to observe the Supreme Court, streams video to students and shows teachers how to bring the law to life for their students.

Clemson Tigers

Thumbs up to the Clemson football team, which will compete for the national championship on Jan. 11 in Glendale, Arizona. In the college football playoff semifinals Thursday, the top-ranked Tigers advanced with a 37-17 victory over No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl at Miami. What an impressive second half that was for the undefeated Tigers, who trailed 17-16 at halftime. …

Clemson already is a seven-point underdog to No. 2 Alabama, which advanced to the championship game with a 38-0 victory over No. 3 Michigan State.

The Tigers seem to thrive on the underdog role. Coach Dabo Swinney is getting a lot of mileage out of telling his Tigers that nobody respects them. But we definitely respect them. Clemson now has defeated four top-10 teams this season. Alabama is good, but it lost to Ole Miss in September. Ole Miss was led by quarterback Chad Kelly, who previously was at Clemson. He’s a mobile quarterback. Mobile quarterbacks give the Crimson Tide trouble. The best mobile quarterback in the nation is Clemson sophomore DeShaun Watson. The “Wayne Train” — sophomore running back Wayne Gallman — has been coming on strong.

Alabama’s defense is outstanding, but Clemson’s is very good, too. It should be a great game.

Lindsey Graham

(Lindsey) Graham will continue to be a voice for our military and for a military strategy that protects Americans here and abroad. In an interview with CNN announcing his withdrawal, Graham pledged to whomever wins the presidency, “I’ll be there to help you win a war we can’t afford to lose.”

Graham’s voice was significant in the presidential campaign, and his effort was not wasted. Significantly, he kept a strong military effort against terrorism on the front burner, and presented a reasonable plan for immigration. Even more important to his party, he has been one of the few voices willing to encourage Republicans to focus on policies that can win a national election.

He demonstrated significant courage by calling out one candidate’s plan to close the nation’s borders to Muslims, explaining that such a strategy weakens the United States’ global effort to fight terrorist entities.

Graham did not endorse a candidate when he withdrew, but there’s little doubt he’ll continue to have a voice in this campaign. As one of the state’s most prominent Republicans and a prominent national voice, he should work hard to help his party nominate an electable, effective leader.

It was good for our state that Graham ran for president. It’s just as good for our state, and for his party, that he has now removed his name from contention and can focus on moving both the state and the Republican party forward.

This story was originally published January 4, 2016 at 1:52 PM.