Solicitors
Serving a four-year term, circuit solicitors are responsible for prosecuting cases in the General Sessions Courts across their circuits, which often includes representing the state at arraignments, bond hearings, and preliminary hearings in magistrate courts.
In most states, the primary criminal prosecutor is the district attorney. However, South Carolina’s primary prosecutors are known as “circuit solicitors.” Article V, Section 24 of the State Constitution states, “There shall be elected in each county by the electors thereof a clerk of the circuit court, a sheriff, and a coroner; and in each judicial circuit a solicitor shall be elected by the electors thereof.” Serving a four-year term, circuit solicitors are responsible for prosecuting cases in the General Sessions Courts across their circuits, which often includes representing the state at arraignments, bond hearings, and preliminary hearings in magistrate courts. There are currently 16 judicial circuits in the state, although this number was fewer in previous years. Each circuit has a solicitor, assistant solicitors, and other staff. The attorney general is designated by the Constitution as the chief prosecuting officer of the state with supervisory authority over solicitors. The attorney general sometimes prosecutes criminal cases, particularly those involving public integrity allegations or arising from the state grand jury indictments. However, some attorneys general have chosen to assign a solicitor to handle politically sensitive cases in other circuits. Unlike the solicitors, the attorney general is also responsible for civil matters for the state, which constitute a greater proportion of their duties than criminal matters do. Cases before municipal courts are generally prosecuted by the city attorney. Such cases involve violations of municipal ordinances, which carry penalties similar to those for offenses tried in magistrate courts.
