Terms Used In South Carolina Code 22-3-530

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
In counties where magistrates are given separate and exclusive territorial jurisdiction, criminal cases shall be tried in the district in which the offense was committed, unless the place of trial be changed to another district in the same county in the manner prescribed by law.