South Carolina
White v. Shwedo
In the latest front in the nationwide fight against the criminalization of poverty, on October 31, 2019, the ºìÐÓÊÓƵ, ºìÐÓÊÓƵ of South Carolina, Terrell Marshall Law Group PLLC, Southern Poverty Law Center, and South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center filed a federal lawsuit challenging South Carolina’s policy of automatically suspending the driver’s licenses of people with unpaid traffic tickets. The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles does not ensure that people who cannot pay will not lose their licenses in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s promise of due process and equal protection under the law. South Carolina’s wealth-based license suspensions impact more than 190,000 people, funneling those who are unable to pay, particularly poor people of color, deep into cycles of poverty, job loss, traffic violations, and entanglement with the legal system.
Status: Closed (Voluntarily Dismissed)
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17 South Carolina Cases
South Carolina
Sep 2020
Voting Rights
Thomas v. Andino
The ºìÐÓÊÓƵ, ºìÐÓÊÓƵ of South Carolina, and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed a federal lawsuit on April 22, 2020, over South Carolina’s failure to take action to ensure all eligible voters can vote by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic — even for its fast-approaching June 9 statewide primary elections.
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South Carolina
Sep 2020
Voting Rights
Thomas v. Andino
The ºìÐÓÊÓƵ, ºìÐÓÊÓƵ of South Carolina, and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed a federal lawsuit on April 22, 2020, over South Carolina’s failure to take action to ensure all eligible voters can vote by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic — even for its fast-approaching June 9 statewide primary elections.
South Carolina
Oct 2019
Criminal Law Reform
Smart Justice
Bairefoot v. City of Beaufort et al
In South Carolina’s municipal courts today, defendants are prosecuted, convicted, and jailed without ever having a lawyer appointed to their case or even being advised of their right to counsel. Hundreds of these defendants who were deprived of counsel—including Tina Bairefoot, Dae’Quandrea Nelson, and Nathan Fox—have been and are incarcerated in local jails and state prisons every year. Cities and towns can decide whether they have municipal courts—they are optional—but if they decide to have them they must follow the Constitution, which includes the right to counsel.
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South Carolina
Oct 2019
Criminal Law Reform
Smart Justice
Bairefoot v. City of Beaufort et al
In South Carolina’s municipal courts today, defendants are prosecuted, convicted, and jailed without ever having a lawyer appointed to their case or even being advised of their right to counsel. Hundreds of these defendants who were deprived of counsel—including Tina Bairefoot, Dae’Quandrea Nelson, and Nathan Fox—have been and are incarcerated in local jails and state prisons every year. Cities and towns can decide whether they have municipal courts—they are optional—but if they decide to have them they must follow the Constitution, which includes the right to counsel.
South Carolina
Feb 2015
Immigrants' Rights
Lowcountry Immigration Coalition, et al. v. Nikki Haley
In 2011 South Carolina passed SB 20, a law modeled after Arizona’s notorious SB 1070. The law required police to demand "papers" demonstrating citizenship or immigration status during traffic stops based on "reasonable suspicion" that a person lacks legal status. It also criminalized South Carolinians for everyday interactions with undocumented individuals, such as driving someone to church, or renting a room to a friend.
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South Carolina
Feb 2015
Immigrants' Rights
Lowcountry Immigration Coalition, et al. v. Nikki Haley
In 2011 South Carolina passed SB 20, a law modeled after Arizona’s notorious SB 1070. The law required police to demand "papers" demonstrating citizenship or immigration status during traffic stops based on "reasonable suspicion" that a person lacks legal status. It also criminalized South Carolinians for everyday interactions with undocumented individuals, such as driving someone to church, or renting a room to a friend.
South Carolina
Jan 2012
Smart Justice
Prisoners' Rights
Prison Legal News, et al. v. Berkeley County Sheriff, et al.
The ºìÐÓÊÓƵ filed a lawsuit in October 2010 challenging an unconstitutional policy at the Berkeley County Detention Center in Moncks Corner, S.C. barring most books, magazines and newspapers from being sent to prisoners.
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South Carolina
Jan 2012
Smart Justice
Prisoners' Rights
Prison Legal News, et al. v. Berkeley County Sheriff, et al.
The ºìÐÓÊÓƵ filed a lawsuit in October 2010 challenging an unconstitutional policy at the Berkeley County Detention Center in Moncks Corner, S.C. barring most books, magazines and newspapers from being sent to prisoners.