Scannergate

The South Carolina state-level court system separates litigants into two strict categories, preventing pro se (self-represented) litigants from electronic filing:

1. The Legal Mandate: Attorney-Only E-Filing Under the South Carolina E-Filing Policies and Guidelines (Rule 1), an "Authorized E-Filer" is defined strictly as a licensed South Carolina attorney in good standing.
2. The Tech Gap: Clerk Scanning & Document Degradation: Pro se cannot electronically file* in SC state courts. *The court dictates that the Clerk of Court manually scans pro se paper documents, introducing several vectors of evidence degradation.