James Todd Rutherford (born October 10, 1970 in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

) is an American politician and Democratic member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...

, representing the 74th District since 1999. He is the Minority Leader of the House.

Early life and education

Rutherford graduated from W.J. Keenan High School in 1988. Rutherford earned his bachelor's degree from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

in 1992. He then worked as Legislative Assistant to Congressman

Robin Tallon Robert Mooneyhan "Robin" Tallon Jr. (born August 8, 1946) is an American businessman and politician who served five terms as a United States representative from South Carolina from 1983 to 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early l ...

before earning his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from the

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. Founded in 1867, it is the only public and non-profit law school in South Car ...

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 ''State of South Carolina v. Richard Alexander Murdaugh'' was the trial of American former lawyer Alex Murdaugh for the murder of his wife, Maggie, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, on June 7, 2021. The trial in the fourteenth circuit of the Sou ...

'' 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. The State trial has been deferred until 2024.

South Carolina General Assembly

Rutherford was elected to the

South Carolina General Assembly The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and ...

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 The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

with the South Carolina state flag. However, the bill never received a hearing. In June 2015 the flag was removed with the overwhelming support of the House Democratic Caucus. Rutherford is a leading proponent of

medical marijuana Medical cannabis, medicinal cannabis or medical marijuana (MMJ) refers to Cannabis (drug), cannabis products and cannabinoid, cannabinoid molecules that are prescription drug, prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabi ...

in the

. In 2014, Rutherford filed the "Put Patients First Act," the first of its kind in South Carolina. Rutherford joined House members Deon Tedder and

Roger Kirby Roger Sinclair Kirby FRCS(Urol), FEBU (born November 1950) is a British retired prostate surgeon and professor of urology. He is prominent as a writer on men's health and prostate disease, the founding editor of the journal '' Prostate Cance ...

in forming the Freedom Caucus of South Carolina, in contrast to the conservative SC

Freedom Caucus The Freedom Caucus, also known as the House Freedom Caucus, is a congressional caucus consisting of Republican Party (United States), Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. It is generally considered to be the most Cons ...

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

References

External links

official SC House websiteImage: J. Todd Rutherford on Liberty FellowshipImage: J. Todd Rutherford on South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus page
* *''Follow the Money'' – J. Todd Rutherford
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campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Rutherford, Todd 1970 births 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians African-American state legislators in South Carolina Howard University alumni Lawyers from Columbia, South Carolina Living people Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Politicians from Columbia, South Carolina University of South Carolina School of Law alumni 21st-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly