Bamberg County Without a Functioning Courthouse for Five Years, Chief Justice Seeks $20M Fix

Thirty people and their families filed into a former National Guard armory on Bamberg's main highway on a rainy Monday morning, passing through a metal detector before taking seats in plastic folding chairs. Drops falling on the corrugated roof had the judge straining to hear as she ruled on plea deals, assigned lawyers, considered probation matters, and conducted other common judicial business. This is how justice has been administered in Bamberg County for roughly five years.

The historic 19th-century Bamberg County Courthouse, the building where these proceedings should take place, is padlocked. Peering through its rear glass doors, one can see ceiling tiles fallen to the floor. Holes have opened in the wooden boards under the eaves.

South Carolina's chief justice is now pushing the Legislature to approve $20 million in state funding to renovate rural courthouses, with Bamberg County at the top of the priority list. The funding proposal arrives against a backdrop of prior state investment that has yet to produce results: in 2023, the county received a $1 million earmark through the state budget sponsored by Rep. Justin Bamberg for the courthouse, followed by a $1.5 million earmark for its "critical repairs" in 2024. It's unclear how that money was spent. The county administrator did not respond in time for deadline to questions about the failed efforts.

Fixing the courthouse, Justin Bamberg said, will involve demolishing the wings and building them back, as well as upgrading the center of the structure and installing a larger elevator for those with physical disabilities.

The conditions in the makeshift courtroom have created operational and safety complications. Bamberg County Sheriff Kenneth Bamberg, father of the state representative, stood behind each person facing charges during the March 16 session. He prefers to be there himself, rather than pulling in one of his deputies, to see it directly in case something dangerous takes place. "A lot of judges don't want to come down here," he added.

The $2.5 million in prior earmarks combined with the courthouse's continued closure leaves open urgent questions for county officials: where did those funds go, what was contracted, and why the padlock remains. With Bamberg County positioned at the head of the line for any new rural courthouse funding, those accounting questions will need answers before the next round of state dollars arrives.