South Carolina

Bail granted to homeowner who shot two men, burned the remains and buried them

A homeowner who admitted that he shot two men, burned their bodies and buried them in the backyard was granted bail on Monday after his lawyer cited South Carolina’s stand-your-ground law. Bail was set at $250,000 for James Edward Loftis of Goose Creek, South Carolina, the Post and Courier reports…

May 11, 2016 6:15 AM CDT

Should cellphone signals be jammed at prisons? FCC mulls issue of contraband devices there

What to do about a reported proliferation of prohibited cellphones in the nation’s prisons? Officials confiscate them when they find them, and can punish those responsible for providing or possessing contraband electronic devices. But the most practical solution is to jam the signal so cellphones can’t be used by those…

Apr 7, 2016 10:55 AM CDT

Cops perform roadside body cavity search after warning, ‘You gonna pay for this one, boy,’ suit says

Police in Aiken, South Carolina, pulled over a car because of its temporary license tags and then handcuffed the passenger, called for a drug-sniffing dog, and performed a roadside body cavity search, according to a pending lawsuit. No drugs were ever found. The incident was captured on dashcam video, though…

Apr 5, 2016 7:26 AM CDT

Charleston School of Law launches new spring admissions program

Charleston School of Law in South Carolina has launched a new admissions program that allows students to begin classes in the spring and graduate in 2½ years. The new program, one of only a few such programs in the country, distinguishes the school as an “innovator” in legal education, Dean…

Jan 22, 2016 1:55 PM CST

Man asks for federal prison time in judge-threat case so he can get mental health treatment

Already serving a five-year South Carolina state prison sentence for threatening the life of a prosecutor, Kashif Quanta Washington asked for, and got, additional federal time for threatening the life of a federal judge. The 11-month federal term imposed Wednesday in the Charleston case will be served consecutively, as Washington’s…

Dec 3, 2015 11:00 AM CST

After videos show deputy’s classroom confrontation, Justice Department is asked to investigate

Updated: The sheriff of Richland County, South Carolina, has requested an FBI and U.S. Justice Department investigation after one of his deputies was captured on videos flipping an African-American student over backward in her chair and dragging her across the floor. The deputy, Ben Fields, was one of two deputies…

Oct 27, 2015 9:40 AM CDT

South Carolina courts tackle quality-of-life issues

Appearing before a judge, even for something as minor as a neighborly squabble, can be a stressful event. But what if, instead of handing down fines and jail sentences, courts taught you how to be a better neighbor?

Oct 1, 2015 7:20 AM CDT

South Carolina paying $215K in legal fees in same-sex marriage battles

South Carolina’s attorney general recently entered a settlement for $80,000 in legal fees for a couple who challenged the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, which follows a federal judge’s order last month that another couple be awarded more than $135,000 in legal fees, the Associated Press reports. The two suits…

Sep 15, 2015 2:15 PM CDT

Retired judge who helped set swim record at 85 makes ‘best law decisions’ in the pool

More than 20 years after retiring from the Florida bench, Judge Robert Beach still spends up to 10 days a month in court as a senior jurist and swims a 4,000-meter daily workout. But he took a vacation earlier this month to swim a relay race with five other octogenarians…

Aug 31, 2015 1:40 PM CDT

Cop shooting of white teen in Hardee’s sting gets lesser media attention; lawyer sees racial reason

A lawyer for the family of a teen shot and killed by police in a Hardee’s parking lot says most people have never heard of his client, and there’s a reason for that. The teen, 19-year-old Zachary Hammond, is white. “If Zachary were black, the outpouring of protest and disappointment…

Aug 20, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Harley rider focuses on motorcycle law in office at converted service station

A former traffic-court prosecutor, Kirk Fisher had envisioned an environmental law focus when he transitioned into private practice. He was even attending a post-law-degree graduate program in the subject at Vermont Law School. The recession and a chance encounter with a group of lawyers from an Arizona firm at a…

Aug 6, 2015 2:00 PM CDT

Judge is expected to block layoff of professor at Charleston School of Law

A judge in Charleston County, South Carolina, is expected to issue an injunction barring the Charleston School of Law from laying off a law professor who claimed she was fired for opposing the sale of the school to InfiLaw. Lawyers for law professor Nancy Zisk told the Wall Street Journal…

Aug 5, 2015 11:06 AM CDT

Church-slayings suspect Dylann Roof wants to plead guilty in federal hate-crime case, lawyer says

Dylann Roof, the white suspect accused of gunning down nine parishioners at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, last month, wants to plead guilty to federal hate-crime and firearm charges, his counsel said at a Friday hearing. However, “until we know whether the government will seek the death…

Jul 31, 2015 3:45 PM CDT

Charleston shooting trial set for 2016; judge extends gag order despite media objections

A trial date for Dylann Roof over the shooting deaths of nine churchgoers in June has been set for July 2016, the Associated Press reports. Roof was charged with nine counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and a firearms charge. Roof hasn’t entered a plea yet, according to…

Jul 16, 2015 1:00 PM CDT

Background-check flaw let Charleston church-massacre suspect buy a gun, FBI chief says

The 21-year-old suspect in a high-profile mass shooting at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, should not have been able to buy a gun, the head of the FBI says. But a flaw in the background-check process enabled Dylann Roof to purchase a .45-caliber firearm in April from…

Jul 10, 2015 2:05 PM CDT