James Todd Rutherford (born October 10, 1970 in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the cit ...

) 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, seati ...

, 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 (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

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 as a United States representative from South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early life and education Born in Hem ...

before earning his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree from the

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. The school of law was founded in 1867, and remains the only public and non-profit law scho ...

in 1996. After passing the bar, he 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.

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. In 2013, Rutherford was elected Minority Leader. 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, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restriction ...

in the

. In 2014, Rutherford filed the "Put Patients First Act," the first of its kind in South Carolina.

References

External links

official SC House website
* *''Follow the Money'' – J. Todd Rutherford
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campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Rutherford, Todd 1970 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century 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