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TO REQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE PORTION OF UNITED STATES HIGHWAY 15 IN SUMTER COUNTY FROM ITS INTERSECTION WITH UNITED STATES HIGHWAY 378 TO ITS INTERSECTION WITH THE SUMTER/LEE COUNTY LINE THE "SOUTH CAROLINA CHIEF JUSTICE ERNEST A. FINNEY, JR. HIGHWAY", AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS ALONG THIS HIGHWAY THAT CONTAIN THE WORDS "SOUTH CAROLINA CHIEF JUSTICE ERNEST A. FINNEY, JR. HIGHWAY".
Whereas, retired South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr., was born in Smithfield, Virginia; and
Whereas, his mother died when he was ten days old, and he was raised by his father, Dr. Ernest A. Finney, Sr., a dedicated educator who instilled in his son an importance of a good education; and
Whereas, Judge Finney earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Claflin College in 1952, and a law degree from South Carolina State College's School of Law in 1954; and
Whereas, in 1960, Judge Finney moved his family to Sumter County and devoted himself to the full-time practice of law. He defended more than six thousand clients who were arrested for participating is sit-ins, freedom rides, and demonstrations; and
Whereas, because the legal system in South Carolina protected segregation, he lost almost every case that went to trial, but won all but two on appeal; and
Whereas, in 1972, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1976, he was elected and qualified as Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit. In 1985, he was elected and qualified as an Associate Justice to the South Carolina Supreme Court. In 1994, he was elected as Chief Justice for the South Carolina Supreme Court where he served as the state's Chief Judicial Officer until he retired in 2000; and
Whereas, Judge Finney's other accomplishments include receiving: Honorary Doctor of Laws Degrees from the Citadel, Johnson C. Smith University, and Morris College; and a Doctor of Humane Letters from South Carolina State University; and
Whereas, it is fitting and proper to recognize the accomplishments of Judge Finney by having a highway in Sumter County named in his honor. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, requests that the Department of Transportation name the portion of United States Highway 15 in Sumter County from its intersection with United States highway 378 to its intersection with the Sumter/Lee County line the "South Carolina Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Highway", and erect appropriate markers or signs along this highway that contain the words "South Carolina Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Highway".
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Department of Transportation.
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