Bar Association Report In Chief Justice’s Hands
TOAL STILL REFUSING TO RELEASE ATTORNEY DISCIPLINE REVIEW TO THE PUBLIC
FITSNews – July 23, 2008 – A draft report from the American Bar Association harshly criticizing South Carolina’s controversial attorney discipline system has been confidentially provided to S.C. Chief Justice Jean Toal, a source close to the S.C. Supreme Court tells FITSNews.
Toal and her clerk, Dan Shearouse, received the draft earlier this month, yet as we reported back in March they will not be releasing its findings to the public. Toal and her chief disciplinary counsel, Lesley Coggiola, have also been criticized for controlling which attorneys got to appear before the ABA review team.
“(Toal) has manipulated this assessment of South Carolina’s disciplinary review process from the very beginning,” our mole at the Supreme Court says, adding that the receipt of an unflattering draft report from the ABA was “unexpected” considering that Toal and her staff “hand-picked the lawyers (the review team) spoke with.”
Regulation of the legal profession in South Carolina – including disciplining attorneys and administering the bar exam – falls exclusively to the Supreme Court, although a spate of recent scandals have lawmakers pushing to have many of those responsibilities placed elsewhere.
Of course, Toal has a powerful taxpayer-funded lobbyist in her pocket, who up to this point has been successful at blocking any attempts at reform.
Comments
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' on July 23rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
I think it is hilarious that a couple of wing-nut liberals like Coggiola and Toal have suddenly turned their backs on open government. Then again, Toal likely started viewing her court as more of a dictatorship than a democracy long ago, and Coggiola is nothing but a high-paid handpuppet.
Secondary to their abandonment of democracy is their accomplishment in proving the equality of the sexes by demonstrating women (ie, them) can be just as corrupt as any “good old boy” this state has ever seen.
By candace bergen-belsen on July 23rd, 2008 at 8:58 am
July 31, 2014 is the end of Toal’s term as Justice.
By CL on July 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 am
The ABA would not have given her the draft unless they wanted some input from the Supreme Court. So why would she release the draft that was prepared without her input? More to the point, how do you know that she is even allowed to release the unfinished report? Your breatheless tone might be appropriate if she had received an advance copy of a final report and was sitting on that, but we are talking about a draft.
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' on July 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 am
Is “CL” code for “Coggiola, Lee”?
By Philip Branton on July 23rd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Uh oh….McMaster gets TOALED……..
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jul/23/no_parole_plan_urged48359/#comments
Henry “MacDaddy” McMaster……..
You and ANDRE’ “the GIANT” Bauer are unbelievable!!
Henry! If you would enforce the laws already on the books and put your hands around the throats of these “loose” judges; you could be focusing on our Visiting immigration return transportation “Problem”. But NO! You make a call and offer some “tootsie roll” for coverage at some stump speech! Your BUSTED ….”OTIS”!! Are you going to offer driving classes to SENIORS like ANDRE’? Maybe enforce the “HAD” (High Age Driver) laws in city limit lanes? Do you understand how absurd this makes you LOOK! Who’s votes are you trolling for in this article? MADD’s?? We don’t need a MIDDLE COURT. I realize everyone makes some sort of mistake. When good ol’ boys want to play politics with the LAWs already on the books…that’s vote trolling. Reasonable and ethical JUDGES can make the determination on NON-Violent Offenders…that’s why their JUDGES! If one continually screws UP…CAN YOU NOT FIRE THEM?!! If criminals knew what to expect and that the HAMMER would be brought down…they would think TWICE! What’s happening is that these punks and legislators think they can get away with ANYTHING…and who’s fault is that. LOOK IN THE MIRROR!! (Fist POUNDS!)
I don’t care what law is PASSED….its how YOU…YES YOU! ENFORCE IT!!! And YOU want to be Governor?? How are you going to keep these RASCALS in the statehouse in line if you can’t keep a grip on OUR state’s judges??? How many laws and hoops have been barricaded up to HOG TIE you??
Who passed them? Does Judge Jean “JUDY” TOAL control YOU? Or do you Control HER??? Somebody has a LASSO up there in Columbia…SOMEBODY? !! IS it you “Mat Dillon” McMaster or is it “WONDERWOMAN” Toal???
By the WAY…..will someone with a ROTARY in this STATE print out this article and comment section to have autographed and SOLD on EBAY for CHARITY?? We have to start generating some sort of tax revenue to support this “PURGATORY” COURT!!
HENRY…..”OTIS” is in his CELL
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' on July 23rd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Jesus, Branton, why don’t you start your own blog already?
By Amazed on July 23rd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
No kidding, I’ve never read such gibberish. In an effort to be cute, you’ve said nothing coherent.
By Mincing Words on July 23rd, 2008 at 6:28 pm
NS, JS
say it again, brother! I’ve been wondering where Branton came from… reckon he got kicked off the stalker’s website????
Also, does anyone know who Man Hands is …err… manhandling?
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