South Carolina is upping its game in its quest to overtake Mississippi as the state most perceived as filled with dumbasses. It wasn't enough to elect Nikki Haley as governor. Even showcasing Southern charm with Lindsey Graham swooning onto a fainting couch, overcome by the vapors of Benghazi, every Sunday morning on the bloviate-and-grift circuit wasn't enough.
No, South Carolina still seemed a bit too edjumacated to compete with its confederate sister. So, they have decided to prove that they are every bit as bass-ackward as any of the upholders of the holy writ of the 2nd Amendment and States' Rights.
They want everyone to know that judging ain't that hard. You don't need a fancy degree from one of them elite Yankee colleges. You don't even need a high school degree. Anyone with common sense and a few years of Sunday school-learnin' can be a judge in the Palmetto State.
As reported today at Lowering The Bar, the S.C. Supreme Court has issued new eligibility requirements for magistrate judges, and they are pretty stringent. You need to know how to tell time, add and subtract, and even make change. Knowledge of the law? Well, ain't you a smarty pants, expecting judges to know about stuff like that?
Because this is a test of general intelligence, it does not lend itself to a study aid or other preparatory materials. However, successful examinees will need at least a sixth grade reading level, knowledge of basic mathematics, how to tell time, days of the week and months of the year, and a basic knowledge of the U. S. monetary units and the U. S. Customary System of weights and measures.
I expect that next they may change their state motto from
Dum Spiro Spero (While I breathe, I hope) to
Adhuc Spirans Spero (I am still breathing, I hope).