Todd Rutherford
| J. Todd Rutherford | |
|---|---|
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 74th district |
|
| In office 1999– |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 10, 1970 Columbia, South Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Naida Harris |
| Residence | Columbia, South Carolina |
| Alma mater | Howard University, University of South Carolina |
| Profession | attorney |
| Religion | Baptist |
James Todd Rutherford (born October 10, 1970 in Columbia, South Carolina) is a 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 and his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Before attending law school, Rutherford worked as Legislative Assistant to Congressman Robin Tallon in 1992–1993. after passing the bar, he worked as an assistant solicitor and special prosecutor of narcotic and drug cases in the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's office.
South Carolina General Assembly
He was elected to the South Carolina General Assembly in 1998 to represent House District 74. In 2004 he was reelected to his fourth term in that position. From 1998–2002 he sat on the house Military, Medical and Municipal Affairs Commission and in 2002 he was moved to the House Judiciary Commission where he now sits on the Criminal Laws Sub-committee. He was named Young Democrat of the year in 1999. As of the 2015–2016 session he is the Minority Leader of the state House of Representatives.
In 2007 Rutherford introduced a bill to replace the Confederate battle flag which currently flies on State Capitol grounds with the South Carolina state flag, except for May 10 which is Confederate Memorial Day. However, the bill never received a hearing.[2] In June 2015 he said he would reintroduce a bill to remove the flag from the Capitol grounds.[3] However, the version of the bill that was ultimately passed originated in the Senate.[4]
