AG Wilson: Hate crime ordinances must align with South Carolina law

SC Attorney General Alan Wilson says local hate crime ordinances could be unconstitutional

After multiple municipalities passed their own versions of local hate crime laws, SC Attorney General Alan Wilson released an opinion that said they likely do not stand up under state constitution.

AG’s opinion says only SC legislators can create a hate crime. But 2 dozen local laws still stand.

A vigil participant holds an 'Erase Hate' sign in front of the White House on Oct. 27, 2018, in Washington, D.C., following a shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Eleven people were killed by an antisemitic gunman in the deadliest crime against Jews in American history. The gunman was sentenced to death by a federal jury in 2023. (Photo by Alex Edelman/Getty Images)COLUMBIA — Hate crime ordinances in municipalities across South …

Florence leaders take wait-and-see stance after South Carolina AG's opinion says cities can't enact hate-crime laws

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) -- The city of Florence, one of four area municipalities to enact hate ordinances last year, plans to wait for "a definitive ruling from the courts" after South Carolina's attorney general said in an opinion on Monday that state municipalities don't have the authority to enact their own hate-crime laws. City leaders unanimously adopted a hate-crime ordinance in March 2024 that set penalties of $500 or a maximum of 30 days i…

AG Wilson: Hate crime ordinances must align with South Carolina law

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued a legal opinion Monday, clarifying that municipalities in the state do not have the authority to create their own hate crime law that exceeds what state law allows, which in South Carolina's case, is nothing at all. South Carolina is one of two states that lacks a statewide hate crime law. For more than a decade, state lawmakers have introduced various bills to implement …