Todd Rutherford

Todd Rutherford
Todd Rutherford
Minority Leader of the South Carolina House of Representatives
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; January 8, 2013
Preceded by	Harry L. Ott Jr.
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives; from the 74th district
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; December 1, 1998
Preceded by	Alma W. Byrd
Personal details
Born	James Todd Rutherford; October 10, 1970 (age 54); Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	; Naida Harris (m. 2008; div. 2017) ; Megan Pinckney (m. 2020)
Children	2
Education	Howard University (BA); University of South Carolina, Columbia (JD)

James Todd Rutherford (born October 10, 1970 in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American politician and Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 74th District since 1999. He is the Minority Leader of the House.^[1]

Early life and education

Rutherford graduated from W.J. Keenan High School in 1988. Rutherford earned his bachelor's degree from Howard University in 1992. He then worked as Legislative Assistant to Congressman Robin Tallon before earning his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1996.

Legal Work

After passing the bar, Rutherford worked as Assistant Solicitor and Special Prosecutor of Narcotic and Drug Cases in the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office. In 1998, he founded the Rutherford Law Firm.

See Trial of Alex Murdaugh

In April 2023 Rutherford and Mark Moore became the new legal team for South Carolina banker Russell Laffitte, who faced state charges after his conviction as a co-conspirator with Alex Murdaugh in federal financial crimes.^[2] The State trial has been deferred until 2024.^[3]

South Carolina General Assembly

Rutherford was elected to the South Carolina General Assembly in 1998 to represent House District 74. He initially served on the Military, Medical and Municipal Affairs Committee before joining the Judiciary Committee in 2002. Rutherford currently serves on the Ways and Means Committee and the Ethics Committee.

Rutherford was named Young Democrat of the year in 1999.

In 2007 Rutherford introduced a bill to replace the Confederate battle flag with the South Carolina state flag. However, the bill never received a hearing.^[4] In June 2015 the flag was removed with the overwhelming support of the House Democratic Caucus.^[5]

Rutherford is a leading proponent of medical marijuana in the South Carolina General Assembly. In 2014, Rutherford filed the "Put Patients First Act," the first of its kind in South Carolina.^[6]

Rutherford joined House members Deon Tedder and Roger Kirby in forming the Freedom Caucus of South Carolina, in contrast to the conservative SC Freedom Caucus.^[7]

In 2013, Rutherford was elected Minority Leader. In 2024 he faced a challenge from Kambrell Garvin, but was re-elected.^[8] ^[9]

References

^ "Minority Leader J. Todd Rutherford". South Carolina Legislature online. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
^ DeWitt, Jr., Michael M. (April 21, 2023). "What's next for Russell Laffitte, Curtis Edward Smith and alleged Alex Murdaugh accomplices?". Greenville News. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ Tripp, Drew (September 20, 2023). "Russell Laffitte prison start date pushed back again". WCIV-TV. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ Adcox, Seanna (June 20, 2015). "South Carolina legislator: Take down Confederate flag". AP. WoodTV8. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
^ "South Carolina House votes to remove Confederate flag from statehouse grounds". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
^ Hutchins, Corey. "With new legislation, activists hopeful S.C. will allow medical marijuana". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
^ Williams, Lee (March 7, 2023). "Three legislators create "Freedom Caucus of South Carolina," members say caucus with similar name not doing its job". WOLO-TV. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
^ "South Carolina House Republicans and Democrats stick with same leadership for upcoming legislative session". WCBD News 2. 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
^ Bustos, Joseph (December 4, 2024). "SC's House Minority Leader Rutherford reelected as Democratic leader despite a challenger". The State Newspaper. Retrieved December 4, 2024.

External links

official SC House website
Image: J. Todd Rutherford on Liberty Fellowship
Image: J. Todd Rutherford on South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus page
Appearances on C-SPAN
Follow the Money – J. Todd Rutherford
- 2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 campaign contributions

South Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by Harry L. Ott Jr.	Minority Leader of the South Carolina House of Representatives 2013–present	Incumbent

[1] "Minority Leader J. Todd Rutherford". South Carolina Legislature online. Retrieved 23 June 2015.

[2] DeWitt, Jr., Michael M. (April 21, 2023). "What's next for Russell Laffitte, Curtis Edward Smith and alleged Alex Murdaugh accomplices?". Greenville News. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[3] Tripp, Drew (September 20, 2023). "Russell Laffitte prison start date pushed back again". WCIV-TV. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[4] Adcox, Seanna (June 20, 2015). "South Carolina legislator: Take down Confederate flag". AP. WoodTV8. Retrieved 23 June 2015.

[5] "South Carolina House votes to remove Confederate flag from statehouse grounds". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 October 2019.

[6] Hutchins, Corey. "With new legislation, activists hopeful S.C. will allow medical marijuana". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 29 October 2019.

[7] Williams, Lee (March 7, 2023). "Three legislators create "Freedom Caucus of South Carolina," members say caucus with similar name not doing its job". WOLO-TV. Retrieved March 13, 2023.

[8] "South Carolina House Republicans and Democrats stick with same leadership for upcoming legislative session". WCBD News 2. 2024-12-04. Retrieved 2024-12-04.

[9] Bustos, Joseph (December 4, 2024). "SC's House Minority Leader Rutherford reelected as Democratic leader despite a challenger". The State Newspaper. Retrieved December 4, 2024.

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v t e Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives
Speaker of the House Jay Lucas (R) Speaker pro tempore Tommy Pope (R) Majority Leader Gary Simrill (R) Minority Leader Todd Rutherford (D)
▌Bill Whitmire (R) ▌Adam L. Duncan (R) ▌Phillip Bowers (R) ▌Davey Hiott (R) ▌Neal Collins (R) ▌April Cromer (R) ▌Lee Gilreath (R) ▌Don Chapman (R) ▌Blake Sanders (R) ▌Thomas Beach (R) ▌Craig A. Gagnon (R) ▌Daniel Gibson (R) ▌John R. McCravy III (R) ▌Luke Rankin (R) ▌JA Moore (D) ▌Mark N. Willis (R) ▌Mike Burns (R) ▌Alan Morgan (R) ▌Patrick Haddon (R) ▌Stephen Frank (R) ▌Bobby Cox (R) ▌Paul Wickensimer (R) ▌Chandra Dillard (D) ▌Bruce W. Bannister (R) ▌Wendell K. Jones (D) ▌David Martin (R) ▌David Vaughan (R) ▌Chris Huff (R) ▌Dennis Moss (R) ▌Brian Lawson (R) ▌Rosalyn Henderson-Myers (D) ▌Scott Montgomery (R) ▌Travis Moore (R) ▌Sarita Edgerton (R) ▌Bill Chumley (R) ▌Rob Harris (R) ▌Steven Wayne Long (R) ▌Josiah Magnuson (R) ▌Cal Forrest (R) ▌Joseph S. White (R) ▌Annie McDaniel (D) ▌Doug Gilliam (R) ▌Randy Ligon (R) ▌Mike Neese (R) ▌Brandon Michael Newton (R) ▌Heath Sessions (R) ▌Tommy Pope (R) ▌Brandon Guffey (R) ▌John Richard C. King (D) ▌Will Wheeler (D) ▌J. David Weeks (D) ▌Jermaine L. Johnson (D) ▌Richie Yow (R) ▌Jason S. Luck (D) ▌Jackie E. Hayes (D) ▌Tim McGinnis (R) ▌Lucas Atkinson (D) ▌Jeff Johnson (R) ▌Terry Alexander (D) ▌Phillip Lowe (R) ▌Carla Schuessler (R) ▌Robert Q. Williams (D) ▌Jay Jordan (R) ▌Fawn Pedalino (R) ▌Cody Mitchell (R) ▌Jackie Terribile (R) ▌G. Murrell Smith Jr. (R) ▌Heather Ammons Crawford (R) ▌Chris Wooten (R) ▌Robert Reese (D) ▌Nathan Ballentine (R) ▌Seth Rose (D) ▌Chris R. Hart (D) ▌Todd Rutherford (D) ▌Heather Bauer (D) ▌Leon Howard (D) ▌Kambrell Garvin (D) ▌Beth Bernstein (D) ▌Hamilton R. Grant (D) ▌Katherine D. Landing (R) ▌Charles V. Hartz (R) ▌Bill Clyburn (D) ▌Bill Hixon (R) ▌Melissa Lackey Oremus (R) ▌Jay Kilmartin (R) ▌Bill Taylor (R) ▌Paula Rawl Calhoon (R) ▌RJ May (R) ▌Micah Caskey (R) ▌Justin Bamberg (D) ▌Lonnie Hosey (D) ▌Brandon Cox (R) ▌Jerry Govan Jr. (D) ▌Gil Gatch (R) ▌Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D) ▌Ryan McCabe (R) ▌Robby Robbins (R) ▌Chris Murphy (R) ▌Mark Smith (R) ▌Sylleste Davis (R) ▌Roger K. Kirby (D) ▌Harriet Holman (R) ▌Carl Anderson (D) ▌William Bailey (R) ▌Kevin Hardee (R) ▌Val Guest (R) ▌Case Brittain (R) ▌Lee Hewitt (R) ▌Tiffany Spann-Wilder (D) ▌Tom Hartnett (R) ▌Wendell Gilliard (D) ▌Joe Bustos (R) ▌Vacant ▌Gary Brewer (R) ▌Spencer Wetmore (D) ▌James Teeple (R) ▌Jordan Pace (R) ▌Bill Herbkersman (R) ▌Leon Stavrinakis (D) ▌Weston J. Newton (R) ▌Michael F. Rivers Sr. (D) ▌Bill Hager (R) ▌Jeff Bradley (R) ▌Shannon Erickson (R)
▌Republican (88) ▌Democratic (35) ▌Vacant (2) South Carolina General Assembly House Senate List of past legislatures

v t e Statewide political officials of South Carolina
U.S. senators	Lindsey Graham Tim Scott
State government	Henry McMaster, Governor Pamela Evette, Lieutenant Governor Mark Hammond, Secretary of State Alan Wilson, Attorney General Curtis Loftis, Treasurer Brian Gaines, Comptroller Hugh Weathers, Agriculture Commissioner Ellen Weaver, Superintendent
Senate	Thomas C. Alexander, President A. Shane Massey, Majority Leader Brad Hutto, Minority Leader
House	Murrell Smith Jr., Speaker Tommy Pope, Speaker pro tempore Davey Hiott, Majority Leader Todd Rutherford, Minority Leader
Supreme Court	John W. Kittredge, Chief Justice John Cannon Few George C. James D. Garrison Hill Letitia H. Verdin, Justices