SC Court Rules On Delegation Flap

The S.C. Supreme Court has ruled that local legislative delegations must use a simple majority vote count – not a weighted vote count – when electing their chairpersons, a ruling that formally elevates Rep. Lanny Littlejohn (RINO – Spartanburg) to the head of the powerful Spartanburg County delegation.

Ho-hum, right?  Wrong.

In South Carolina, local legislative delegations wield tremendous power over county, school board and municipal governments, meaning that the lawmakers who control these delegations are often able to exert considerable influence on local affairs.

The dispute the Court ruled on Monday rose out of the 2008 election, which saw fiscal conservatives pick up significant gains in Spartanburg County.  An election for chairman of the local delegation was held, at which point there was a split between supporters of Rep. Joey Millwood (who was elected on the basis of weighted representation) and Rep. Lanny Littlejohn (who had a simple majority of lawmakers supporting his chairmanship).

A weighted vote operates under the premise that Senators – who represent nearly three times as many constituents as House members – should have a disproportionate say in determining who leads the local delegation.

After the election, both Rep. Millwood and Rep. Littlejohn presided over their own delegation meetings, effectively creating two Spartanburg County delegations.

Eventually, Sen. Shane Martin flip-flopped on his vote (something he is wont to do), effectively handing control to Littlejohn.

“We find that a simple majority vote is the appropriate method of electing county legislative delegation officers,” Chief Justice Jean Toal wrote in issuing the unanimous opinion.

WEB EXTRA

S.C. Supreme Court Ruling on Legislative Delegations

UPDATE: Talk about a short-lived victory.  Rep. Littlejohn announced Monday – literally hours after the ruling – that he will not seek reelection in 2010.

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