South Carolina Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in South Carolina, with full citations and the original source on every page.
No South Carolina opinions match these filters
Try a different search term or clear the filters.
Can a South Carolina city pass its own hate crimes ordinance when the state legislature has not enacted a hate crimes law?
Probably not, if the ordinance creates a criminal penalty. The AG concluded that a Greenwood-style hate crimes ordinance is at strong risk of being struck down as preempted by Article VIII, § 14(5) of…
In South Carolina, is it a crime to publish the name of an alleged sexual assault victim even if the assault was never reported to police?
Yes. South Carolina § 16-3-730 makes publishing the name of any victim of criminal sexual conduct, alleged or actual, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or three years in prison. The AG f…
Can a South Carolina municipal council limit a speaker to a single three-minute slot at public comment, even if the speaker holds power of attorney to speak on someone else's behalf?
Yes. AG Wilson concluded that a content-neutral rule barring speakers from stacking their personal time with time allotted to others (including those who have given them power of attorney) is consiste…
Is South Carolina's statute making it a misdemeanor to disturb religious worship (S.C. Code § 16-17-520) constitutional, and can it be enforced against protesters who use blasphemous, profane, or obscene language near churches?
Subsection (a) (willful and malicious disturbance) is likely constitutional. Subsection (c)'s ban on 'blasphemous' language is probably unconstitutional under federal cases like Kalman v. Cortes, but …
Can a religious-affiliated organization be denied public funding just for being religious?
No. The Attorney General concluded that the Free Exercise Clause of the U.S. Constitution prevents a government from denying a religiously affiliated institution generally available public funding sol…
Browse South Carolina opinions by topic
Attorney general opinions in South Carolina are written by the South Carolina Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.