South Carolina Lawyers Weekly

May 8, 2026

Damages class may proceed over prison contractor’s opioid treatment policy

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld certification of a damages class alleging that a private prison healthcare contractor unconstitutionally denied treatment for opioid use disorder, but remanded […]

May 7, 2026

First Step Act credits require fresh review after end of Chevron

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the dismissal of a federal prisoner’s habeas petition challenging the Bureau of Prisons’ refusal to award First Step Act time […]

May 6, 2026

Inventory searches support inevitable discovery of evidence

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed suppression of firearms and drug evidence found in a defendant’s bags, holding that the items would inevitably have been […]

May 5, 2026

COA reverses Planning Commission’s approval for 73-home development

The circuit court erred when it affirmed the planning commission’s approval of a development plan for 73 homes in northern Greenville County, the South Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled. […]

May 4, 2026

SC governor signals openness to redistricting following SCOTUS voting rights ruling

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has issued a statement suggesting the state legislature should review the state’s congressional map following a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights […]

May 1, 2026

Medpay coverage limited to expenses insured was legally obligated to pay

An insured may recover only medical expenses she was legally obligated to pay under a Medpay provision covering “expenses incurred,” the South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled. The plaintiff, […]

Apr 30, 2026

Revocation sentence vacated for failure to address mitigation argument

A supervised release sentence was procedurally unreasonable where the U.S. District Court failed to address the defendant’s non-frivolous argument that he had effectively served an additional 19 months […]

Apr 29, 2026

Group pleading defeats deliberate indifference claim against detention officers

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that conclusory, group-based allegations failed to state a plausible claim that individual detention officers were deliberately indifferent to a detainee’s […]

Apr 28, 2026

South Carolina Senate blocks even a study of hate crime legislation

South Carolina will remain one of the few states in the country without a hate crime law after the state Senate failed to advance even a proposal to study such […]

Apr 27, 2026

Untimely Faretta warnings require new trial in murder case

The South Carolina Court of Appeals reversed murder and attempted murder convictions after finding the defendant was deprived of his Sixth Amendment right to counsel when he was forced to […]

Apr 24, 2026

Clinical evidence supports renewed pornography ban on supervised release

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the reimposition of a pornography ban as a condition of supervised release, holding that new, individualized clinical evidence tied the […]

Apr 23, 2026

Equitable mootness limited in simple Chapter 13 appeal

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that equitable mootness does not bar an appeal in a straightforward Chapter 13 bankruptcy case when effective prospective relief remains available. […]