NANCY MACE ANNOUNCES “OPEN BENCH” INITIATIVE TO BRING FULL TRANSPARENCY TO SOUTH CAROLINA’S JUDICIAL ETHICS SYSTEM
Gubernatorial candidate Nancy Mace today announced the “Open Bench” initiative, a publicly accessible online database of judicial ethics complaints in South Carolina – including the names of judges, the nature of complaints filed against them, and the outcomes of those complaints.
“South Carolinians deserve to know which judge received a complaint, what it was for, and what the outcome was,” said Congresswoman Nancy Mace. “Under a Mace administration, they will.”
In 2025, the South Carolina Supreme Court amended the Rules for Judicial Disciplinary Enforcement to require the Office of Disciplinary Counsel and the Commission on Judicial Conduct to publish quarterly summaries of dismissed complaints and confidential sanctions against judges. The summaries represent the first time the public has had any window into how judicial misconduct complaints are handled in this state.
The names of judges in dismissed cases remain redacted. A South Carolinian reading the most recent quarterly summary learns that a magistrate received a letter of caution for ex parte communications, but never learns which magistrate, in which county, or how many other complaints that judge has accumulated.
Under the Open Bench initiative, Rep. Mace will work with the General Assembly and the Supreme Court to establish a publicly searchable database listing judicial ethics complaints by judge name, court, complaint type, and disposition – updated on a rolling basis and accessible to every South Carolinian.
Rep. Mace pointed to the case of Donald Gresh, a Lowcountry man found in possession of nearly 1,900 photos and videos of toddlers being sexually abused. Gresh was facing 60 years in prison. He received a one-day sentence.
“When a child predator walks out of jail after one day, South Carolinians deserve to know everything about the judge who made that call and every complaint that has ever been filed against them,” said Rep. Mace. “Sunshine is the best disinfectant. As Governor, I will bring it to every courtroom in the state.”
The Open Bench initiative is the latest pillar of Mace’s broader campaign to root out corruption and restore accountability in South Carolina state government, alongside her push to end the practice of lawyer-legislators hand-picking the judges they appear before in court.
