May 22, 2018 | Criminal Defense, Fourth Amendment
To some law enforcement officials in SC, the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure is an inconvenient obstacle to doing their job. They are always looking for ways to get around it and search people and their property with no warrant and...
May 18, 2018 | CDV Domestic Violence, Criminal Defense
Every so often, people ask me: What is the difference between “domestic violence” and “criminal domestic violence” in South Carolina? There is no difference. The “criminal” was dropped from the charge when SC lawmakers passed a new...
May 18, 2018 | Criminal Defense, Marijuana Prohibition
Horry County police arrested a woman after her newborn baby tested positive for marijuana. Fortunately, this is a rare move by police – if they arrested every pregnant woman who uses marijuana, the jails would be overflowing with mothers and soon-to-be mothers....
May 16, 2018 | Criminal Defense, Expungements
A much-anticipated bill that will overhaul South Carolina’s expungement laws has passed the House and Senate, and is now waiting for the governor’s signature. The new SC expungement law makes some major changes, including: Expanding the list of drug offenses that can...
May 3, 2018 | Criminal Defense
A 3-year-old died in a house fire in Kentucky, and police have charged the boy’s aunt with second-degree manslaughter and first-degree wanton endangerment. Police say the woman left the toddler and her 11-year-old son at home while she went to another county to watch...
May 2, 2018 | Criminal Defense, Evidence Rules
Last week, on the same day that I wrote about whether corporate profits and trade secrets are more important than a defendant’s constitutional rights, the SC Supreme Court may have answered the question for us… In Hartsock v. Goodyear, the SC Supreme Court answered a...
