In 2023, South Carolina became the only state in the nation without a woman serving on its highest court. Together, we can change that.

As the SC General Assembly prepares to elect the state’s next Supreme Court Justice on Wednesday, June 5th, join us by adding your name to the #GiveHerTheGavel Community Letter that will be emailed to the SC General Assembly (all legislators) on Tuesday AND hand delivered to all 170 legislators at 9:30am on Wednesday (morning of vote).  

The letter is copied below and can also be found by clicking on this link.

**Note only your name will be added to the letter delivered to them,  your email or zip code will NOT be shared with them. Be The Ones, the nonpartisan organization leading this campaign will have access to your email address but under no circumstances will share, sell or distribute your name, email address or zip code to any organization, groups or individuals.

To learn more about this campaign visit: www.betheones.org/gavel

COMMUNITY LETTER:

Dear Members of the South Carolina General Assembly:

As you prepare to elect the state’s next Supreme Court Justice on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, we urge you to consider the fundamental principle that our judiciary was designed to find justice and truth from diverse perspectives. We call on you to use the power of your vote to elect a woman to serve as the next South Carolina Supreme Court Justice.

We acknowledge this vote comes at a critical moment in time for South Carolina and for all who value democratic participation. Deeply committed to equality and justice for all, we strongly believe that to ensure our courts, including our State Supreme Court, are protecting the fundamental human and civil rights, our justices must reflect the diversity of our state and the lived experiences of the communities they serve.

As you are aware, in 2023, South Carolina became the only state in the nation without a woman serving on its highest court. Representation on our courts is crucial for equitable justice, to enrich judicial decision making, promote public confidence in the judiciary, and move us closer to a judicial system that better represents all South Carolinians.

Fifty-four percent of South Carolina’s residents identify as women. Women are vital contributors to our state, our democracy, and must be included in key institutions and in positions of leadership. Continuity of an all-male court also presents deeper concerns relative to the potential for women, people from underrepresented backgrounds, and various intersecting identities to reach positions of power within the state judiciary.

As the people of South Carolina, voters, community leaders, and organizations, we collectively call on you and your colleagues of the General Assembly to stand on the side of justice and equality ensuring the Supreme Court of South Carolina is more reflective of whom it serves by adding gender diversity to the court.

Finally, we sincerely urge all members of the General Assembly to model the civility, respect, and collegiality that this significant and historic decision deserves.

Respectfully submitted,

(all names and organization)