Opinion
2024-07-11-01
07-11-2024
Amendments to Court Interpreter Forms and Rescission of Court Interpreter Cancellation Policy
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER
DONALD W. BEATTY, CHIEF JUSTICE
On May 18, 2023, I issued an order approving the use of forms SCCA 261 - Request for Court Interpreter and SCCA 261A - Court Interpreter Cancellation Policy. This order was issued in response to concerns raised by freelance court interpreters related to the cancellation or continuance of previously scheduled court proceedings. Since that time, it does not appear that issues relating to cancelled or continued court proceedings have diminished.
Therefore, pursuant to Article V, Section 4 of the South Carolina Constitution, IT IS ORDERED that forms SCCA 261 - Request for Court Interpreter and SCCA 263 - Request for Payment for Qualified Interpreter, each bearing a revision date of 07/2024, are hereby approved for use in the courts of the State of South Carolina, effective July 15, 2024. These forms have been edited for format, and form SCCA 261 has been edited to remove references to the cancellation policy and to incorporate the Order of Appointment of Qualified Interpreter.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that forms SCCA 261A - Court Interpreter Cancellation Policy, bearing the date of 05/2023, and SCCA 262 - Order of Appointment of Qualified Interpreter, bearing a revision date of 01/2020, are hereby rescinded, and shall no longer be used in the courts of the State of South Carolina, effective July 15, 2024.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that form SCCA 264 - Affidavit of Court Interpreter, bearing a revision date of 07/2024, is hereby approved for use in the courts of the State of South Carolina, effective July 15, 2024. This form shall be completed in all instances in which the court interpreter is not otherwise approved to interpret in the courts as evidenced by being listed in South Carolina's Court Interpreter Directory.
The use of form SCCA 261 as notification of the need for an interpreter shall be waived for certain bond hearings, emergency hearings, or other hearings which are scheduled with less than forty-eight hours' notice. In these situations, notifying the clerk's office via telephone or email of the need for an interpreter shall be acceptable.