Judicial compensation

2025-2026 Bill 4783: Judicial compensation - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 4783
STATUS INFORMATION
Joint Resolution
Sponsors: Rep. Gilliard
Document Path: LC-0527WAB26.docx
Introduced in the House on January 13, 2026
Currently residing in the House Committee on
Ways and Means
Summary: Judicial compensation
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

12/16/2025

House

Prefiled

12/16/2025

House

Referred to Committee on
Ways and Means

1/13/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 88
)

1/13/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Ways and Means
(
House Journal-page 88
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
12/17/2025

A joint Resolution

TO PROVIDE THAT SALARY SUPPLEMENTs, EXPENSE ALLOWANCEs, OR
OTHER PAYMENTS FOR OFFICE OPERATIONS OR OFFICIAL DUTIES PROVIDED TO JUSTICES OR
JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT, COURT OF APPEALS, OR FAMILY COURT AS COMPENSATION
IN ADDITION TO THEIR SALARIES MAY NOT EXCEED THE in-district COMPENSATION
PROVIDED TO MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TO PROVIDE THAT THE SALARIES OF
SUCH JUSTICES AND JUDGES MUST BE EQUAL TO THE SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR JUDGES ELECTED AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS JOINT
RESOLUTION AND FOR SITTING JUDGES AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THEIR CURRENT TERMS
AND UPON REELECTION TO ANY SUBSEQUENT TERM OF OFFICE; and TO PROVIDE THE
PROVISIONS OF THIS JOINT RESOLUTION APPLY BEGINNING WITH THE 2026-2027 FISCAL
YEAR AND EXPIRE ON JULY 1, 2036.

W
hereas, Section 16, Article
V of the South Carolina Constitution provides that the salaries of justices and
judges "shall not be reduced during their term of office," thereby prohibiting
any midterm decrease in judicial compensation; and

W
hereas, the South
Carolina General Assembly finds that it is a core principle of state governance
that compensation structures funded with public dollars be transparent,
consistent, and reasonably aligned across the constitutional branches of
government; and

W
hereas, the South
Carolina General Assembly finds that members of the General Assembly receive a
defined legislative expense allowance and in-district compensation to support
the costs of carrying out their constitutional duties, in addition to their salary
and fringe benefits; and

W
hereas, the South
Carolina General Assembly finds that members of the judiciary in South Carolina
receive a monthly allowance for office expenses in addition to their salary and
fringe benefits; and

W
hereas, in order to
ensure fairness and fiscal uniformity, supplemental payments or office expense
funding provided to members of the judiciary should not exceed the analogous
compensation provided to the legislative branch. Now, therefore,

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
(
A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for
Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and each fiscal year thereafter through July 1, 2036, no
justice of the Supreme Court, judge of the Court of Appeals, or judge of the
Family Court may receive, from any state source, a salary supplement, expense
allowance, office expense allocation, or other payment for official duties that
exceeds the in-district compensation provided to members of the South Carolina
General Assembly.

(
B) In addition to
subsection (A), beginning July 1, 2026, and subject to Section 16, Article V of
the South Carolina Constitution:

(
1) The base
annual salary for any justice or judge of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals,
or Family Court elected and qualified on or after the effective date of this
joint resolution must be established at an amount equal to the annual salary
provided to members of the General Assembly.

(
2) For any
justice or judge serving on the effective date of this joint resolution, the
salary equalization required by item (1) applies only after the justice or
judge completes his current term of office and is reelected to a subsequent
term, if any.

(
3) The monthly
office expense funding provided to any justice or judge may not exceed the
monthly in-district compensation provided to members of the General Assembly.

S
ECTION 2. This joint resolution takes effect
upon approval by the Governor and expires on July 1, 2036.

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This web page was last updated on January 13, 2026 at 2:40 PM