Senate Judiciary Committee gives favorable report to Jimmy Arthur Richardson as 15th‑circuit solicitor

The Senate Judiciary Committee on the committee’s first business of the day screened Jimmy Arthur Richardson II for appointment as solicitor of the 15th judicial circuit and gave him a favorable report to the full Senate.

Richardson, introduced by Senator Hamre, took the oath, gave his Conway address for the record and answered committee questions about practices in Horry and Georgetown counties. Attorney JJ Gentry summarized Richardson’s background, including his service in the Horry County solicitor’s office and his December 12, 2012 appointment to fill the expired term.

When senators pressed him on case management, Richardson said his offices have followed the statewide case‑management order for years and strive to resolve cases quickly. “We are always striving for the goal of having cases settled within 6 months or 180 days,” he said. He described continuing in‑county plea days at the jail to reduce transport burdens and praised the local drug court program’s results, citing a study of the first 100 graduates where the group’s aggregate felony counts fell dramatically after completion.

Committee members offered personal endorsements. After a motion to approve the appointment and a second, the committee chair announced a favorable report and a recorded tally the chair described as unanimous; Chair said the committee would send the nomination to the Senate desk for floor consideration after the statutory three‑day waiting period.

Next steps: the nomination will remain on the Senate desk for three days to allow any senator to ask questions; the full Senate is expected to take it up following that period.