The SC State Court of Appeals was created to hear most types of appeals from the circuit court and the family court. Exceptions are when the appeal falls within any of the seven classes of exclusive jurisdiction listed under the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals is the judicial system's newest court, having commenced operation on September 1, 1983. It consists of a Chief Judge and eight associate judges who are elected by the General Assembly to staggered terms of six years each. The Court sits either as three panels of three judges each or as a whole, and it may hear oral arguments and motions in any county of the state.

Click Here for a history of the SC Court of Appeals, written by The Honorable Jasper M. Cureton. Link current as of August 2007.