On April 15, 2016, Attorney James Snell spoke to a group of approximately eighty Magistrate Court judges on the topic of DUI law. The event was the Magistrates Advisory Council Intensive Training Seminar sponsored by the South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination and the South Carolina Judicial Department. This event is held annually to assist to assist Magistrate judges in fulfilling their mandatory continuing education requirements. The event was held at Midlands Technical College's Northeast Campus.
Of the approximately eighty judges in attendance there were several from around Lexington and Columbia. Mr. Snell's topic included an emphasis on the breath test procedure, touching on points including infrared absorption spectrometry (the technology used by the machine analyzes breath to estimate BAC), breath test video recording requirements, and the responsibility of police officers to assist individuals with obtaining their own independent blood test.
Training, such as this program, is an effective way to make sure that Magistrate judges are able to stay abreast on recent legal developments. As DUI is a complex and ever-changing area of the law, this is even more important when hearing and deciding issues arising in the trial of DUI cases.