South Carolina

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

Impassioned speech by lawyer opposing Confederate flag rocked South Carolina House

Updated: After more than 13 hours of debate, the South Carolina House approved a bill early Thursday to remove the Confederate flag from the Capitol grounds. Gov. Nikki Haley signed the bill into law later that afternoon, using nine pens she said would go to the families of each of…

Jul 9, 2015 4:54 PM CDT

State senate votes to remove Confederate flag from South Carolina Capitol

In the first of several votes needed to obtain approval to remove the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina state Capitol grounds, the Republican-controlled state senate voted 37-3 on Monday to do so. As debate took place, the desk of slain senator Clementa Pinckney was draped in black; several…

Jul 6, 2015 6:08 PM CDT

Suits by law profs claim they were fired for opposing law school’s sale to InfiLaw

Two tenured law professors at Charleston School of Law have filed lawsuits claiming they were fired because they opposed the school’s sale to InfiLaw. The professors, Nancy Zisk and Allyson Haynes Stuart, filed the breach of contract suits against the school and its two owners in late June, report the…

Jul 6, 2015 11:39 AM CDT

Should Confederate flag be displayed? ABA president, state officials, stores take a stand against it

A call Monday by South Carolina’s governor for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the state capitol grounds was swiftly followed by announcements from additional states, major retailers and at least one flag manufacturer that they, too, are taking action to limit the flag’s display. Considered by some…

Jun 24, 2015 10:22 AM CDT

Confederate flag should be removed from South Carolina state capitol grounds, governor says

After a fatal shooting attack last week on nine people who were attending a Bible study group at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, the state’s governor on Monday called for the Confederate flag to be removed from the state capitol grounds. “Today we are here in a…

Jun 22, 2015 4:30 PM CDT

Church-shooting bond judge was reprimanded for N-word advice; comments at hearing bring debate

The South Carolina judge who presided in the bond hearing for the white man accused of the racially motivated Charleston church shootings was reprimanded in 2005 for using the N-word in a 2003 court hearing. Magistrate James Gosnell Jr. of Charleston County did not grant bail on Friday for Dylann…

Jun 22, 2015 7:22 AM CDT

Hate-crime investigation launched after suspect captured in Charleston church shooting

Updated: A 21-year-old white man accused of fatally shooting nine people Wednesday night during a bible-study meeting at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, has been captured. Charleston police chief Gregory Mullen said Dylann Roof was taken into custody Thursday without incident, following a traffic stop 250 miles…

Jun 18, 2015 1:07 PM CDT

Nelson Mullins opens NYC office, expands capital markets practice

A Southern regional powerhouse has planted its flag in New York City. Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough announced Monday that it has opened a Manhattan office with two partners who focus on real estate and corporate financial matters, reports The State. With the help of the new office in the…

Jun 9, 2015 11:00 AM CDT