South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

H 4965 — Probate judge qualifications

Last action — Referred to Committee on Judiciary

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 14% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 14-23-1040, RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS OF PROBATE JUDGES, SO AS TO REVISE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROBATE JUDGES IN COUNTIES GREATER THAN FIFTY THOUSAND IN POPULATION, AND TO GRANDFATHER THOSE PROBATE JUDGES CURRENTLY SERVING.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

41 added · 8 removed

41 line(s) added, 8 removed.

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2025-2026 Bill 4965 Text of Previous Version (Jan.
15, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 4965Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)                 A bill   TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 14-23-1040, RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS OF PROBATE JUDGES, SO AS TO REVISE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROBATE JUDGES IN COUNTIES GREATER THAN FIFTY THOUSAND IN POPULATION, AND TO GRANDFATHER THOSE PROBATE JUDGES CURRENTLY SERVING.
  Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
  SECTION 1.  Section 14-23-1040 of the S.C.
Code is amended to read:
      Section 14-23-1040.  (A) No person is eligible to hold the office of judge of probate who is not at the time of his election:
       (1) is not a citizen of the United States and of this State,;
       (2) has not attained the age of twenty-one years upon his election,;
       (3) has not become a qualified elector of the county in which he is to be a judge,;
and        (4) has not received a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited post-secondary institution or if he has received no degree he must have four years' experience as an employee in a probate judge's office in this State.
    (B) In counties with populations in excess of fifty thousand citizens and notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (A)(2) and (4), no person is eligible to hold the office of judge of probate who at the time of his election:
       (1) has not attained the age of twenty-five years upon his election;
and        (2) is not a licensed attorney in good standing in this State or, if not a licensed attorney in good standing in this State, the probate judge must hire a staff attorney within a reasonable time of his election.
  SECTION 2.  The provisions of Section 14-23-1040(A)(4) and (B) do not apply to a probate judge currently serving in office on or before the effective date of this act.
  SECTION 3.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
----XX---- This web page was last updated on January 15, 2026 at 11:12 AM
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Action History

  1. Referred to Committee on Judiciary

  2. Introduced and read first time

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 169 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (169)

169 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

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Frequently asked questions

What does H 4965 do?
A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 14-23-1040, RELATING TO QUALIFICATIONS OF PROBATE JUDGES, SO AS TO REVISE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROBATE JUDGES IN COUNTIES GREATER THAN FIFTY THOUSAND IN POPULATION, AND TO GRANDFATHER THOSE PROBATE JUDGES CURRENTLY SERVING.
Who sponsors H 4965?
H 4965 is sponsored by Representative Wallace H. "Jay" Jordan, Jr..
What is the current status of H 4965?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track H 4965?
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