Pleicones being sworn in to lead South Carolina's top court

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COLUMBIA (AP) — South Carolina's top court is getting its first new leader in more than a decade. Costa Pleicones (Pluh-KOH-Nus) is being sworn in Thursday as the chief justice of the state's Supreme Court. He has been an associate justice on the high court since 2000. Pleicones replaces Jean Toal, who turned 72 last year and took mandatory retirement because of her age. Pleicones himself turns 72 next month and therefore can only spend a year as South Carolina's top judge. He has said he would like to make the bar exam two days instead of three and continue Toal's push to have legal papers filed electronically.