COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court is considering whether state lawmakers violated the constitution when they voted earlier this year to increase their own pay.

The case centers on a budget proviso passed at the end of the legislative session that doubled lawmakers’ monthly in-district compensation from $1,000 to $2,500. The payments are meant to cover expenses for serving constituents in their home districts, but lawmakers are not required to document how the money is used.

State Senator Wes Climer sued the legislature over the pay raise.

The lawsuit centers on a provision in the state constitution that says, “No General Assembly shall have the power to increase the per diem of its own members.” Justices are now deciding whether that clause applies to the in-distric

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