Steve Garrison

Charleston, Columbia

South Carolina Reporter at Courthouse News Service

South Carolina reporter for @CourthouseNews. Former editor @postandcourier. Chicagoland native and @mizzou grad.

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Articles

DC Circuit shuts down Texas probe over Media Matters roast of Elon Musk

1 week ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

A D.C. Circuit panel found there was "uncontested evidence" that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton retaliated against Media Matters for its reporting on Elon Musk's social media site X. (CN) — A D.C. Circuit panel upheld a preliminary injunction blocking Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from subpoenaing a progressive media watchdog group that wrote an article critical of Elon Musk’s social media site X.
Fourth Circuit rejects discrimination claims against South Carolina beach town

3 weeks ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

An appellate panel found there was insufficient evidence that Myrtle Beach officials acted in a discriminatory fashion during a police crackdown in a bar-heavy district. Charleston, S.C. (CN) — The Fourth Circuit affirmed a district judge’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit against Myrtle Beach officials over the coastal city’s controversial strategy to curb violence downtown. U.S. Circuit Judge J.
High court affirms six-week abortion ban in South Carolina

3 weeks ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

Planned Parenthood's South Atlantic branch said "justice failed South Carolina" after the state's high court affirmed a 2023 law bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Charleston, S.C. (CN) — The South Carolina Supreme Court found that approximately six weeks of pregnancy is the appropriate period to determine if a fetus is viable under the state’s abortion ban.
North Carolina civil rights groups urge Fourth Circuit to strike down felon voting law

4 weeks ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

A panel of appellate judges heard arguments Friday on the constitutionality of an 1877 law that prohibits certain convicted felons from voting in North Carolina. (CN) — A Fourth Circuit panel appears ready to strike down a Reconstruction-era voting law its opponents say discriminates against Black voters in North Carolina. The voting rights organizations North Carolina A.
Gun owners urge Fourth Circuit to strike down carry laws in Maryland, Virginia

1 month ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

(CN) — The Fourth Circuit heard arguments on the constitutionality of gun control laws in Maryland and Virginia as judges nationwide continue to grapple with a landmark ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that broadly expanded the right to bear arms in public. Virginia gun owners argued Wednesday that a Fairfax County ban on firearms in public parks and near permitted gatherings was overly broad. They leaned on the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v.
Inmates ask Fourth Circuit to rein in Maryland county’s rogue pretrial release program

1 month ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

(CN) — Jail detainees argued in the Fourth Circuit Tuesday that a district judge improperly dismissed a preliminary injunction challenging a Maryland county’s controversial pretrial release program. U.S. Senior District Judge Peter J. Messitte, a Bill Clinton appointee who died earlier this year at age 83, ruled about two years ago that Prince George’s County enjoyed quasi-judicial immunity from liability for how it processed detainees ordered to be released by state judges.
Judge orders release of $14 billion in green energy grants as EPA seeks appeal

1 month ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

Organizations awarded billions of dollars in clean energy grants say environmental officials illegally strong-armed a bank into withholding their funding. (CN) — A federal judge temporarily stopped the Environmental Protection Agency from withholding at least $14 billion in clean energy grants approved under former President Joe Biden. In an order late Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Tanya S.
Wildlife officials settle suit over endangered status of two southern species

2 months ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

Conservationists say the southern bog turtle and roughhead shiner deserve endangered status as nonnative species threaten the rivers and swamps they call home. (CN) — Federal officials will decide whether to add two southern swimmers to the endangered species list after years of delay, according to an announcement Tuesday by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Conservationists sue Trump over new logging in North Carolina forests

2 months ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

Conservationists say a new management plan will dramatically increase logging in national forests that have already been thinned out by Hurricane Helene. (CN) — A coalition of conservation groups is suing the Trump administration over plans to increase logging in North Carolina’s national forests. The conservationists accuse the U.S. Forest Service of mismanaging the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests by expanding approved logging in the region by thousands of acres.
Myrtle Beach bar owners ask Fourth Circuit for another shot at discrimination suit

2 months ago | courthousenews.com | Steve Garrison

Charleston, S.C. (CN) — Minority bar owners argued in the Fourth Circuit they deserved a new trial on claims that city officials in Myrtle Beach conspired to shut down their businesses under the guise of public safety. The panel of judges seemed skeptical during Tuesday’s oral arguments in Richmond, Virginia, of the argument that a federal judge should have allowed a jury to weigh the bar owners' claims rather than issuing directed verdicts. U.S. Circuit Judge J.