“Do not pervert justice or show partiality… a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise… Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue.”
— Deuteronomy 16:18–20
The Bible warned us what happens when justice becomes twisted. And that is exactly what we are watching in South Carolina.
A moment I’ll never forget: When I first got to the State House in 2022, Rep. Bill Sandifer asked what committee I’d been assigned to.
“3M,” I said.
He smiled and replied:
“That’s a good one. Doctors will give you a lot of money. Only thing better is Judiciary — because lawyers give you even more.”
That one sentence revealed everything wrong with our system.
South Carolina has 11,000 lawyers… and 2.8 million working people.
But guess whose voice carries more weight in Columbia? Exactly what Scripture warned us about:
partiality + money = corrupted justice.
The System Protects Itself
In 2014, a grand jury indicted Speaker Bobby Harrell.
Illegal money channels were uncovered.
One of the groups caught funneling money: The South Carolina Association for Justice — the trial lawyers’ lobby.
Their fine? $30,000. A slap on the wrist!
“Do not pervert justice.” Yet, that’s exactly what happened.
How legislators control judges:
In South Carolina, the quickest path to a judgeship is:
- Get elected to the legislature
- Build alliances
- Step down
- Wait a year
- Apply to the JMSC — which legislators control
This means legislators can reward friends and punish judges who rule against them.
A real-time example: Justice Few:
Justice John Few recently issued rulings that powerful legislators didn’t like.
Now, suddenly, former Speaker Jay Lucas (age 68) has been approved by the JMSC to run against him for the Supreme Court.
Personally, I like Representative Lucas more than I like Justice Few. That is not important!
FYI: the state law says a judge can only serve to age 72.
Lucas will be 69 by the time he is sworn in, if he wins. The term for a Supreme Court justice is 10 years. He said in front of the JMSC that he doesn’t think that law applies to him since he will not try to participate in the judicial retirement program.
This isn’t about qualifications.
It’s a warning shot. It lets other judges know how powerful the legislature can be.
When Lucas left the House, he didn’t leave that seat to chance. Cody Mitchell — a lawyer with the Lucas law firm — was personally asked by Jay Lucas to run for his seat. Lucas promoted him as his successor, and Mitchell went on to win the district that Lucas had represented.
This is how political and legal machines operate.
WHY THIS MATTERS:
If justice is shaped by money…
If judges answer to legislators…
If influence outweighs fairness…
Then we are violating God’s command.
“Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue.”
South Carolina cannot fix its problems until this thread of power is broken.
CALL TO ACTION — PLEASE SHARE PUBLICLY:
Tomorrow I will begin unraveling the second thread of power — the money thread.
Please SHARE THIS POST PUBLICLY so your friends — and their friends — can see what’s really happening in South Carolina.
