Appellate Practice
S.C. Inmate Objects to Female Lawyer; State Supreme Court Clerk: Get Over It
Posted Oct 30, 2008, 02:35 pm CST
By Martha Neil
Unhappy that a female lawyer had been appointed to represent him in an appeal, a South Carolina inmate wrote to various officials seeking to have a different attorney appointed to his case.
The request resulted in a personal letter (PDF) to the inmate from the clerk of the Supreme Court of South Carolina that has been circulating among the local bar. But in it, Daniel Shearouse gave short shrift to the inmate's plea that he didn't want a female lawyer.
"You do not have the right to select what attorney will be appointed to represent you," Shearouse writes. "Nor do you have any right to object to the fact that your appointed lawyer may be a female.
"If you have a problem with females being lawyers, I would suggest that you get over your outdated and irrational views and work to establish a good working relationship with your counsel."
An employee at the supreme court confirmed to ABAJournal.com that the letter from Shearouse is genuine, but the clerk declined to comment.
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