Remember when the South Carolina Supreme Court declared that the state’s solicitor-controlled criminal docket was unconstitutional. That happened in November 2012, when the court issued the Langford decision. Two years, nine months and a few weeks later, solicitors are still ...

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Based on what’s been happening lately in the General Assembly, solicitors seem to have the upper hand in the struggle for control of the criminal trial docket. But public defenders are betting that the legislative effort will be fruitless.

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HILTON HEAD ISLAND (AP) - South Carolina’s top prosecutors have asked the state Supreme Court to reconsider a ruling that took control of trial dockets from them.

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The fight to pry control of the criminal docket from the hands of South Carolina’s solicitors has dragged on for years without a single appellate decision addressing the old law behind the controversy. But now, the state Supreme Court is considering three cases challenging the constitutionality of the statute that gives solicitors the power to schedule criminal cases for trial – a power which is vested in no other group of prosecutors in the nation.

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Roster breakdowns, interruptions in trials and lack of uniformity in scheduling are among the problems a new Supreme Court task force will target as it looks for ways to improve docket management in the state's trial courts. Led by Justice Kaye G. Hearn, the task force, consisting of judges, clerks, court administrators and practitioners, will hold its first meeting Thursday, with Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal expected to charge the group with its mission. That mission will entail gathering data and recommendations on how to streamline docket management as the state Judicial Department struggles with decreasing budgets and growing caseloads, Justice Hearn told Lawyers Weekly.

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