It is ironic that the Michael Hilton felony DUI case had an important ruling just days before the Myrtle Beach city council elections are scheduled.

Hilton’s DUI accident resulted in the death of a biker and serious injuries to a passenger on the bike. That it has taken five and one-half years to get to the point where it looks like the case will go to trial is a black mark on what passes for a legal system in South Carolina.

But, putting the accident itself aside for now, the long term consequences of it are pertinent to the upcoming election.